


on the line

by annabetncnase



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, idk what this is honestly let's see where this goes!, restaurant AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:40:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24047563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annabetncnase/pseuds/annabetncnase
Summary: “You’ll be the only man in my kitchen. My cooks will not like you.”“Yes, Chef.”“Do you know why they won’t like you?” She didn’t wait for him to answer. “Because most men in this industry are assholes who would rather see us as waitresses than giving them orders in a kitchen. Do you understand?”“Yes, Chef.”“And, Percy,” she pronounced every syllable of his name, “if I discover you are one of those men, you’ll be out of here before you can say ‘medium rare’. Is that clear?”“Yes, chef.”or,Up-and-coming cook Percy Jackson is hired as a sous chef at one of the most popular restaurants in New York City. His boss, Annabeth Chase, is not to be messed with. Percy thinks there's something else about her, but he doesn't exactly know what. Yet.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Comments: 168
Kudos: 388





	1. pierce the room like a cannonball

**Author's Note:**

> oops i wrote this on impulse and now here it is! anyway this is a result of me watching hours and hours on end of kitchen nightmares and hell’s kitchen. hope you like this

The female to male ratio in Annabeth Chase’s kitchen was seven to one, meaning Percy was the only man. He was very well aware of that when he got hired - Chef Chase’s kitchen was the new hype in New York City, with a modern take on Greek food that was just up Percy’s ally. Given the fact that he was, well, a man, he knew he had very little chance of being hired as the sous chef for Parthenon.

He was very nervous, therefore, when he brought his food up to the pass for Chef Chase to taste. She was extremely demanding, and had dismissed some of the previous candidates with a mere flick of her terrifying grey eyes. She looked at Percy’s soup before tasting it, taking in its scent and analyzing the presentation. Then she took the spoon he’d offered her and tried it. He watched her face, tried to read her facial expressions for any sign of disapproval or, if he was lucky, the opposite. There was none. She didn’t tell him to leave, however, so he took that as a good sign.

Once Chef Chase had finished tasting all the dishes from the remaining candidates, she looked through a spreadsheet, presumably with all of the candidate’s names, which they’d told her before presenting their dish.

“Perseus Jackson,” she said, fixing her gaze on him. “You’re hired. Follow me to my office. Everyone else, thank you for coming.”

Shock paralysed Percy for a few seconds before he realized she’d called _him_ , hired _him._ He followed her to a room outside the kitchen, trying to ignore the mix of angry and disappointed looks the other candidates pointed at him.

He sat down on the chair in front of her huge desk.

“Do you want to know why I hired you?” Chef Chase asked, looking through some papers.

“Yes, Chef.”

“Because you made the best orzo soup I’ve ever tasted,” she responded, looking up at him. “Besides my own, of course.”

Percy decided not to respond.

“There are some things you need to know before you start working in Parthenon. First, I’m not a forgiving person. I gave everything for this restaurant, and I won’t let anything,” she gave him a pointed look, “or anyone take that from me. That means two strikes and you’re out.” 

Percy gulped. “Yes, Chef.”

“Second, you’ll be the only man in my kitchen. My cooks will not like you.”

“Yes, Chef.”

“Do you know why they won’t like you?” She didn’t wait for him to answer. “Because most men in this industry are assholes who would rather see us as waitresses than giving them orders in a kitchen. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Chef.”

“And, _Percy_ ,” she pronounced every syllable of his name, “if I discover you are one of those men, you’ll be out of here before you can say ‘medium rare’. Is that clear?”

“Yes, chef.”

“Very well. You’ll receive some documents and instructions via email. I expect you here at 9am tomorrow. Dismissed.”

* * *

“Gyros coming to the pass!” Piper yelled.

“How long on that rice?” Chef Chase asked.

“Five minutes, Chef!” Melissa replied.

“I want it in three!”

“Yes, Chef!”

Percy walked around the stations. The kitchen was running smoothly, making his job a little easier. They hadn’t had any customer problems, no food had come back, and the stress level was at its normal rate.

“Good job with that gyros, McLean,” he told Piper. She responded with a quick nod.

Piper was the one who had told him to apply for the job. They’d met in culinary school and become immediate best friends. However, he’d had to battle for his other co-workers’ respects. They respected him as their boss, of course, but Chef Chase was right when she said they’d be wary of a man in the kitchen. Percy learned from Piper that they’d had to fight through many arrogant male cooks before getting their place in one of the most disputed kitchens in New York City. Little by little, however, they seemed to realize he was not an asshole. Or at least, he hoped that’s how they felt about him.

“Jackson,” Chef Chase called, “come here.”

“Yes, Chef,” Percy walked over to the pass.

“There’s a journalist from the Times here, Dick something.” she explained, “I need you to go talk to him.”

“Yes, Ch- wait,” Percy interrupted himself. “What exactly am I talking to him about?”

“Yourself.”

“Myself?”

“Yes, yourself. He wants to know how the new sous-chef is doing in a kitchen full of women, which frankly is a load of bullshit, but he’s been up my ass about this since you were hired, so I’ll just give him what he wants.”

Percy hesitated. She was clearly unhappy with this. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am. Go.”

Percy walked outside of the kitchen. A middle-aged man with a phone in his hand was waiting by the door.

“Are you the journalist?” Percy asked. 

“Yes! I’m Dick Johnson,” he put out his hand, and Percy shook it. “You must be Perseus.”

“I prefer Percy.”

“Very well, Percy. I have a few quick questions for you, nothing much.”

Percy nodded.

“So you’ve been here for… three months now,” Dick started. “How’s the experience been?”

“Great. Chef Chase is a genius, I’ve learned so much. And the other cooks are also excellent, by far the best kitchen I’ve ever worked in.”

“Has your time here been any different than any of the other places you’ve worked at?”

Percy knew exactly what this man wanted to hear, but he would not give it to him. “Yes, it’s been very enlightening.”

“And why is that?”

“The menu is very well-crafted, for starters. We barely have any waste, and the combinations are very unique. And everything is delicious, of course.”

“Anything different about your boss?”

“Different how?” Percy asked, but he knew.

“I don’t- well, she is different than most chefs.”

“Yes, she’s better,” Percy gave him his most annoyed look. “Anything else? I need to get back in the kitchen.”

Dick disguised a sigh. “No. Thank you, Percy.”

Percy nodded and went back.

“How’d it go?” Chef Chase asked.

“I don’t think he liked me,” Percy answered honestly.

“Why?” she seemed concerned.

“I just didn’t tell him what he wanted to hear.”

The Chef eyed him for a few seconds. “I suppose I’ll find out if you screwed up tomorrow,” she said, resigned. “Get back to work.”

“Yes, Chef.”

* * *

Percy woke up to a text from Chef Chase.

_Chef: Good job with the interview, Jackson_

He smiled. He was a bit surprised by the spontaneous praise from the Chef, especially out of the kitchen.

_Percy: Thanks, Chef_

_Chef: I need you to go shopping with me today. The team will take care of prep without you_

_Percy: Of course, where are we going?_

_Chef: The fish market. Our supplier had a problem and they’re not coming today, so it’s up to us. I need you there so we can be fast_

_Percy: Let me know the time and I’ll meet you there_

Quality time with Chef Chase. Every aspiring chef in New York would pay thousands of dollars for that. _I better not screw this up_ , Percy thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter title from taylor swift's 'state of grace'


	2. sacred new begginings (my religion)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy and Annabeth go shopping for that evening's dinner service, but things do not go as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all so much for your feedback on the first chapter!!! i plan to make them a little longer from now on and i plan on having about 5 chapters, but we'll see what happens. thank you again and i hope you enjoy this one!  
> thank you to biclarisselarue and vll8586 for betaing!!!

Percy met Chef Chase at the fish market at three, which is an hour before he would usually be at the restaurant on a weekday. When he got there, she looked very different. Instead of her usual uniform, she was wearing a black and white striped shirt and jeans. Her hair, usually up in a bun, was in a ponytail, which made Percy realize it was longer than he thought it was. When she spotted him, she smiled and waved.

“Good afternoon, Percy.”

“Afternoon, Chef.”

“Oh, you can call me Annabeth when we’re not at work.”

“This isn’t work?”

“Are you kidding me?” She laughed. “The fish market is so much fun! It’s basically fish heaven.”

Anyone else might have found that statement very strange and a bit appalling, but Percy knew exactly what she meant. Percy loved seeing all the fresh cuts, imagining how he could cook them. He could basically smell the restaurant’s calamari dish just from seeing it on the stand.

“That’s what I always say!”

“See? You get it.” Annabeth reached into her purse. “Here’s your list. I divided them by sections so you’ll be on one side of the market and I’ll be on the other, but you can come find me if you need any help.”

Percy grabbed the slip of paper. It listed just a few items - one of Percy’s favorite things about Parthenon was its short and simple menu.

He took another quick look and nodded. “Seems easy enough. Meet you over here soon?”

Annabeth nodded. “See you soon.”

Percy started shopping on the west side of the market, while Annabeth went east. He knew the market like the palm of his hand, so much so that he was even on a first name basis with some of the salesmen, so it didn’t take him long to find exactly what he needed. He filled his carts and pushed them back to the entrance, where Annabeth was already waiting.

“Find everything?” She asked. 

“Not really. They didn’t have any symi shrimp.”

“Fuck,” Annabeth put her hand on her forehead. “Okay, I’m gonna text you a number and you tell him he can come pick up the fish. I need to make a phone call.”

Percy agreed and she stepped off. He called the number she sent him, and was informed the truck would soon stop by the market to load the fish and take it to the restaurant. Annabeth returned shortly after, looking stressed.

“Okay, we need to make a detour,” she explained. “There’s this little store uptown and my supplier told me they might have the symi, so we need to go very fast. We need to be in the restaurant before it opens, which means we have… two and a half hours.”

“I think we can make it.”

“Yeah, did you call Mark?” 

“The truck guy? Yeah, he’s on his way.”

“Good. We’ll just make sure he gets everything and then we can go.”

Percy agreed. “So, what store is this?”

“It’s this little place owned by an old lady named Violet, and she basically sells to specific restaurants in the area. I met her when I worked at my old job, and she really liked me, so she lets me buy from her too. I don’t know how she gets her stuff, but she always has really good quality fish.”

“That’s so interesting. Just a random old lady selling fish?”

“Yeah. And it’s in the basement of this building, if I didn’t know her I’d think she’s a serial killer.”

“Are you sure she isn’t? It would be the perfect location - the basement of a building in New York City, she’s got a lot of ice around to keep her ‘fish’,” Percy mimed the quotation marks with his fingers.

Annabeth laughed. “Well, who knows? Maybe she’s sold me human liver once or twice. Guess I’ll never know.”

“I’m sure you’d make it taste great.”

“I definitely could,” her face changed suddenly. “I almost forgot to ask. Did you read your interview on the paper?”

Percy was surprised for a moment. After Annabeth had congratulated him on it in the morning, he completely forgot about the interview. 

“I didn’t, actually. Did he trash me too much?”

“Trash you? Not at all,” she said. “it was just a short article about how much you like working for me, which I appreciate, but I was surprised.”

“Well, you were right when you told me he just wanted me to talk about working with women. He asked very leading questions.”

“I’m not surprised.”

“Yeah, he was like, ‘how’s your boss? Is she _different_ from your other bosses?’ Like, dude, we all know exactly what you mean by that.”

“Well, you should be happy you caught onto his meaning,” Annabeth replied. Percy understood the implied ending to that sentence: _because your job depended on it_. He wondered what kind of pressure Annabeth was under, with her restaurant and her reputation.

“Dick sure is a dick.”

“Yes, he is.”

A moment later, a white truck with a fork and spoon illustration on the side pulled over, and Annabeth waved. A short man stepped out and greeted her with a thick New York accent.

“How are you doing, Annabeth?”

“Good, Mark, how are you?”

“Great.” 

“Can you get these bags to the restaurant for me?”

“Absolutely. Anything else I can do for you?”

“When you get there, let everyone know Percy and I will be there in about an hour and a half.”

“Got it, boss.”

“Thanks, Mark, I’ll see you!”

Mark quickly loaded the truck and drove off.

“That’s Mark,” Annabeth said. “You should save his number. He’s a do-it-all kind of guy, and he’s helped me out of a billion situations like this.”

“That’s really good to know. Thanks, Annabeth.”

“Of course. Should we go?”

“Yeah, did you drive here?”

“Yes, did you?”

“No, took the subway.”

“Okay, I’ll drive us. Come on.”

Five minutes later, Percy was in Annabeth Chase’s car. New York traffic wouldn’t allow them to make it to Violet’s store anytime soon, so Percy took the opportunity to talk about food. Not about work food, just food in general. He’d learned so much from Annabeth already, even from cooking just the items in the restaurant’s menu, so he was eager to hear what she had to say about everything else. As their conversation progressed, he could tell how passionate about food she really was - it was no wonder she’d made it this far. Not only was she knowledgeable and talented, she also cared about cooking so much. It felt great to talk to someone who truly understood his love for his job.

“Here we are,” she announced several minutes later. “Is that… a parking spot? Wow, that must be a sign that she _will_ have the symi.”

“May Violet bless us with so much luck on this beautiful day,” Percy joked.

“Amen.”

The store was located in an old commercial building. Annabeth greeted the doorman before leading Percy to the small elevator. It arrived at the basement with a _ding_ and they stepped out.

“Violet?” Annabeth called.

“Annabeth?” A shrill voice replied. “Over here, honey!”

Violet was the most interesting person Percy had ever laid eyes on. She was a short asian lady, with a very bright floral dress and an apron with the Mona Lisa on it. Her hair was jet black, which she probably dyed, because her grey roots were showing. She put on a very large smile at the sight of Annabeth.

“It’s good to see you, my girl. What do you need?”

“Good to see you too,” Annabeth stepped up to one of the fish stands. “Do you have symi shrimp?”

“Why, yes, I do. Come over here and I’ll show you.”

“Careful,” Percy whispered to Annabeth, “that’s what they say before they kill you.”

He was pleased to see her snort and try to hold back a smile. He followed her to the back of the basement, which was a smaller, more limited version of the fish market. Annabeth picked out and purchased the portion of shrimp necessary for the evening.

“I’d love to stay and chat a little longer,” Annabeth said, “but Percy and I need to get back to the restaurant for dinner service.”

“And is your boyfriend enjoying working at your restaurant?”

Annabeth’s back straightened suddenly and she blushed profusely, as did Percy.

“Percy and I aren’t- he’s not my boyfriend, just my sous chef.”

“I see,” she turned to Percy. “And are you enjoying being Annabeth’s sous chef, dear?”

He cleared his throat and nodded. “Uh, yes. She’s a great chef.”

Violet nodded knowingly. “I’m glad. Well, I better let you go. Have a good service, you two.”

“Thanks, Violet. We’ll get going,” Annabeth’s demeanor had changed considerably. The smile she had on a few moments ago was gone. She took off in large strides to the elevator, without looking back to see if Percy was following her.

His stomach sunk. Percy thought things were going well with Annabeth. They’d had a nice, easygoing conversation in the car, and they’d been joking around ever since the fish market. He really cared about making a good impression on his boss, and this would have been the perfect opportunity for it. Had he messed up his chance, crossed a line?

They paced quietly to the elevator. When the doors closed, they sounded a bit louder than the last time, but Percy didn’t pay much attention. It wasn’t until they heard a very loud metallic clang that dragged on for a few seconds that he noticed something was wrong.

“Oh, my god, you have to be fucking kidding me!” Annabeth exclaimed.

“There’s no fucking way.”

“Hello!” Annabeth screamed, banging her fist on the door. “We’re stuck in here!”

Percy let himself sink down to the floor. “I don’t know if they can hear you.”

She turned to him, very clearly annoyed. “Well, maybe you should do something too. Call 911, for starters?”

“Yes, Chef,” Percy pulled out his phone and dialed 911. It rung once.

“911, what’s your emergency?”

“Yeah, hi, I’m at 125th and 8th, number…”

“1200,” Annabeth supplied.

“Number 1200, and I’m stuck in the elevator.”

“Alright, sir, is the elevator stable?”

“Yes.”

“We’ll be there in about half an hour.”

“Half an hour? We’re kind of in a rush.”

“I understand, sir, but if the elevator is stable, that means we can send the emergency team elsewhere. If the situation becomes unstable we will send in the team as fast as possible.”

“Fine. Okay. Thank you.”

“Thank you, sir. Have a great day.”

Percy hung up.

“They’re coming in _half an hour_?” Annabeth asked.

“Yep,” Percy popped the P.

“Amazing. Fucking incredible, really.”

Annabeth sat down too, on the opposite corner from Percy. She hugged her knees.

“I’m gonna call Piper.”

Percy nodded. Annabeth put her phone to her ear.

“Piper? It’s me, Annabeth,” she started. “Percy and I are stuck in the city... Because we had to buy the fish somewhere else. Listen, I can explain everything to everyone later, but I don’t know when we’re getting back. I need you to run the pass, Lucy can take care of your station. Okay. Oh, and if we don’t get there in time, tell the wait team we’re out of the symi. Thanks. Bye.”

“Lucy is doing meat?” Percy asked.

“Yes. Any problems?”

“None at all. Just asking.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

 _Amazing_ , Percy thought. Not only had his relationship with his boss taken a dip, he was now stuck in an elevator with her and a huge bag of shrimp. He prayed the ice would last until the firefighters came, because if the shrimp went bad, that would mean all of that would have been for nothing. Since they had no choice but to be confined there together for the next thirty minutes, however, Percy decided he might as well try to make things better.

“Annabeth,” he said, “I’m sorry about back there. I don’t know if I said anything or-”

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” she interrupted.

Percy hesitated. “I didn’t?”

“No. We were just having a regular conversation.”

“Then, what’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong is… I know why I hired you, and you know why I hired you, but other people don’t.”

She must have realized Percy didn’t catch her meaning, because she continued.

“This whole time, I was known as the chef who only hired women, the feminist chef,” she explained. “I established a reputation, and then I put it at risk to hire you. Don’t get me wrong, Percy, you are an excellent cook and I don’t regret my decision at all. But people are _so_ quick to talk. If someone thinks for one minute I hired you because we’re romantically involved, instead of hiring a woman that deserved the job more than you, it’s over.”

“Do you really think that would happen, though? Isn’t that a silly rumour?”

“Yes, but people think women are that silly. That superficial. Didn’t you see what that journalist was trying to do? He was looking for any reason to claim I don’t deserve my success. These people will grasp at anything they find, even if it’s not true.”

Percy nodded. “I understand that. Well, for what it’s worth, I would speak up if any of that ever happened.”

“That’s good to know,” Annabeth gave him a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry I acted that way. It was unprofessional.”

“No need to apologize.”

Annabeth smiled and eyed her watch. “Well, we still have about… twenty minutes before the firefighters get here. Any suggestions to pass the time?”

Percy thought about it. “Well, I used to play this game with my mom.”

“Yes?”

“So you have to think of a fictional character, and I can ask as many yes or no questions as I want to guess who it is. Then I think of one and you have to ask the questions. Whoever guesses the other person’s character with the least amount of questions wins.”

“Alright. I’ll start,” Annabeth was pensive for a moment, choosing her character. “You can start asking.”

“Okay, is your character a human being?”

“Yes.”

“Are they a woman?”

“Yes.”

“Is she the main character?”

“No.”

“Is she a character in a book?”

“Yes.”

“Is it very popular?”

“Yes.”

“Did they make a movie out of that book?”

“Yes.”

“Is the movie also popular?”

“Definitely.”

“Um… is she from Harry Potter?”

“Yes.”

“Is it Hermione?”

“No.”

“Ginny.”

“Nope.”

“Is it professor- what’s her name? Professor McGonagall?”

“Yes!”

“Okay, that wasn’t too hard. I asked 10 questions.”

“Okay, have you picked your character?”

“Yeah, go for it.”

“Is your character a human being?”

“No.”

“Well, that makes it harder. Is it an animal that exists, like a dog?”

“Yes. To the first question, not to the dog one.”

“That was only one question, though.”

“Okay, it is an animal that exists.”

“Is it a cat?”

“Yes.”

“Is it a cartoon?”

“Yes.”

“Garfield.”

“No.”

“Tom, from Tom and Jerry.”

Percy feigned shock. “Yes. Damn, that was fast.”

Annabeth shrugged. “I’m too great at these games. And that was, what, four questions?”

“I guess. Best out of three?”

“Sure.”

Around twenty minutes, one Moana, one Jo March, one Popeye and one Hannah Montana later, they heard a voice coming from the top.

“Hello? Are you guys alright down there?” The firefighter called.

“Yes, we’re here!” Annabeth yelled back.

“How many people are you with?”

“There’s two of us in here.”

“Alright. We’re gonna reach through the top opening and pull you both out. It’s just an electrical failure but the mechanics are fine, so you’re completely safe.”

“We also have a really large bag of shrimp here,” Percy added.

The firefighter was silent for a moment, probably processing that information. “Uh, okay, we’ll pull that out first, I guess.”

A few moments later, one of the square sections on top of the elevator was pulled out to reveal the firefighter they’d been speaking to.

“Hello, folks, I’m officer Michaels,” she said. “Alright, hand me your shrimp.”

Percy lifted up the bag into the opening. “Careful,” he warned, “some of the ice melted.”

After handing the shrimp to another officer on the ground floor, officer Michaels pulled Annabeth out, then Percy. Once she was sure they were both okay, she said they were free to go.

“It’s 5:15,” Annabeth said. “I’m gonna have to drive a little crazy.”

“Go for it.”

They got to the restaurant at 5:55. Their 6pms tables were already waiting by the front door as they entered through the back.

“Sorry, everyone, we’re here!” Annabeth announced. “Lisa, here’s the shrimp. Piper, you can go back to meat. Thank you and I’m sorry again. Did Mark deliver everything okay?”

“Yes,” Piper confirmed. “That’s the symi, right? I’ll tell the wait staff we have it.”

Ten minutes later, everything was back to normal, like nothing had ever happened. Percy made sure the team had prepped everything okay as they started service, but as he expected, Piper had run things just fine. 

“How did prep go?” He asked.

“Oh, it was good. Maybe I should take your job,” Piper winked.

“Ha-ha. Careful or you’ll burn yourself with all that overconfidence.”

“Why don’t you go check on someone else? You know, before I burn you with this hot pan.”

He gave her a dirty look before going to check on the rest of the team. They’d started the day on the wrong foot, but everything seemed to be working fine once they picked up the pace. Percy was worried they’d be in the weeds later in the night, but the team pulled through.

“Good job, everyone,” he said once they finished the last ticket.

“Definitely,” Annabeth agreed. “That was a great service.”

Percy was putting his uniform away when Annabeth approached him.

“You did a good job, too,” she told him. 

“Thanks, Chef.”

“Seriously. I probably would have freaked out a lot more in that elevator if you weren’t there.”

“Hey, I owe it all to my mom’s dumb games.”

“Tell her I said thanks, then.”

“Will do. See you tomorrow, boss.”

“See you, Percy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter title from taylor swift's cornelia street
> 
> comments are appreciated! i'm on tumblr at @annabetncnase


	3. best of times, worst of crimes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> percy faces his biggest challenge as a sous chef yet, and starts to realize some things about annabeth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shits about to get real y'all. this chap also gives u a deeper look into percy and piper's friendship as well as what a typical day in the kitchen looks like

“You got stuck in an _elevator_?” Piper asked.

Piper and Percy made lunch together at Percy’s place the day after said incident, and Piper was more than shocked to hear he got to spend time alone with Annabeth for basically an entire day. Percy understood. It’s not like Annabeth was cold or rude, she was just reserved. Percy felt the whole ordeal meant he was being tested - he knew she was keeping a close eye on him, and the day at the market had been a trial of how he would act outside of the restaurant. He could only hope he did well.

“Yeah, but it was only, like, half an hour.”

“That’s a long ass time to be stuck in an elevator with your boss! What did you even talk about?”

“We, um, we played a guessing game.”

Piper just glared at him in silence for a few seconds. When she spoke, she sounded incredulous. 

“You played a _guessing game_ with star chef Annabeth Chase? In an elevator?”

“Do you want a detailed report of my day, by any chance? Jesus, Piper.”

“Sorry, I’m just a little perplexed.”

“Why? It was just, like, a regular interaction. She asked me to help and she’s my boss, so I said yes.”

Piper shrugged. “I don’t know. I can’t see her playing guessing games with Sarah.”

Sarah was the previous sous chef. She’d left the restaurant with Annabeth’s blessing to start her own business, and talked wonders about Parthenon and her old boss whenever asked about it.

“Well, I bet she never got stuck in an elevator with Sarah.”

“Sure,” Piper agreed, but the look on her face told a different story.

“What,” Percy said blankly.

“Nothing.”

“Fuck off, McLean. Why are you smiling like that?”

“I just feel like you and Chef Chase got some really good bonding time, is all.”

“One of these days, I’m just going to stop listening to what you say. Annabeth would kill you if she heard you say that, by the way.”

Piper raised her brows. “Annabeth, huh? We’re on a first name basis now, then, are we?”

“No- we- shut up.”

“Chill, dude. And _Annabeth_ won’t hear about this because you won’t tell her.”

“Obviously. I ain’t no snitch.”

“That’s my best friend,” Piper smiled.

“You know it,” Percy eyed her plate. “Are you going to have those fries?”

“Of course I am,” she said, “paws off.”

“I should have made more,” Percy lamented.

“Well, next time maybe you should remember I eat family-sized portions.”

“It’s true. Next time I’ll buy up the entire stock of potatoes in the supermarket.”

“Great idea.”

* * *

“Alright, everyone, we have a twelve top coming at seven,” Annabeth announced before service, “so hurry up with the first tickets. We don’t want to keep them waiting.”

“Yes, Chef,” the team called back.

Percy approached Annabeth on the pass.

“A twelve top?” He asked. “Any VIPs?”

“Not that I know of. I think it’s just a rich girl’s bachelorette party.”

Percy whistled. “Good luck to the wait team.”

“Tell me about it.”

Since the day in the market, Annabeth’s tone had changed. She was still as demanding and direct as ever, but in calmer moments like these, before they were all busy with tickets and after service was over, they would always have some light hearted conversations that went beyond ‘thank you’ and ‘see you tomorrow’. Percy really enjoyed this new dynamic. The job itself was a lot of pressure, but building relationships with his colleagues throughout his first months in the restaurant had made it a lot more bearable, and knowing that he was in a comfortable situation with Annabeth made it even better. He was so glad he didn’t have the god-I-hate-my-boss kind of job.

That day, Percy pushed the first few tickets - he didn’t want them to be behind when the twelve top arrived. He watched the clock attentively, and ten minutes before seven, he felt like they were in a good place, which was excellent, because soon after that, Annabeth called the team’s attention.

“Twelve top is here!” She announced and listed the orders. “How long on those starters?”

“Ten minutes, Chef!”

“Speed it up, everyone!”

“Yes, Chef!”

Percy paced around the kitchen, checking on everyone’s progress. With big tables like this, it was important to make sure all the dishes came out at around the same time - they couldn’t let a plate go cold while another one was still being cooked.

“How’s it going with the starters?” Annabeth asked a few minutes later.

“Three more minutes, Chef!” 

Annabeth was about to respond when Laura, the maître d’, walked into the kitchen. 

“Chef, there’s a phone call for you.”

“I can’t right now, Laura, the twelve top’s on the way.”

“He says it’s an emergency, Chef.”

“ _He?_ Who’s he?”

Percy didn’t hear who over the loud kitchen, but Annabeth’s face immediately sombered.

“Percy, I need you to run the pass for five minutes,” she called, “I’ll be right back.”

“Yes, Chef.”

Percy approved the starters while Annabeth was on the phone, trusting that they would be up to her standards as well as his. They all tasted fine, were cooked perfectly and seasoned well. In the back of his mind, however, he wondered who this man that could take Annabeth Chase away from her kitchen was.

When she came back, she didn’t explain anything.

“Did you send the starters?” She asked.

“Yes, Chef. Is everything okay?”

“Yes, I’ll explain later. Get back to work.”

Percy didn’t argue. Once service was over, Annabeth asked to talk to the team.

“Chef Octavian Rann is coming for dinner in two days,” she said. “As you know, he’s a very influential chef and what he thinks of our food matters a lot. I need you all on your best game. He might ask us to add things or change the dish entirely, so be prepared for that. He’s not exactly a forgiving customer.”

Everyone nodded.

“Any questions?” Annabeth took the silence as a ‘no’. “Alright, thanks, everyone. Have a good night.”

Percy approached her a few moments later. “You know Octavian Rann?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“Why didn’t he just make a reservation instead of calling you?”

“Because he thinks he’s too good to make a reservation.”

Percy sensed he shouldn’t push the subject any further. He wished Annabeth a good night and left. On the subway ride home, however, he couldn’t help but wonder why Octavian Rann made Annabeth so stressed - he hadn’t seen her that tense since they got stuck in the elevator a month prior. From her remarks, she didn’t seem to like him at all, but Percy had no idea what he had done to deserve it.

The buzz of the train flying through the city made his eyes heavier, and he didn’t think about it much more. He’d cross that bridge when he got to it.

* * *

“He’s coming at 6:30,” Annabeth announced before service two days later. “I hope everyone had a good night’s sleep because I need you all on your toes all night long. Understood?”

“Yes, Chef!”

Percy could tell the entire kitchen was a bit on edge. Annabeth’s tension was clear, and none of the cooks were in the mood for finding out how she would react if Chef Rann’s dinner went south. Annabeth had spent the entire previous day stuck in her own head, barely sparing anyone a glance if they didn’t call her name a couple of times. Percy truly didn’t understand what the stakes for the dinner were, but they seemed to be extraordinarily high in a way that only Annabeth saw.

Percy sometimes wished he could read her mind. There was something about her that he didn’t quite get, and he really wanted to. He didn’t know why he felt this need to understand her, but he had the feeling that if he found a way to make sense of her, this big puzzle piece in his life would fall into place. Maybe that’s why, ever since they became closer, he started to overanalyze every spark in her grey eyes, the way her hands moved when she talked. Like he’d be able to piece her together and form one complete picture. He couldn’t stop himself from wondering what the picture was.

He let his eyes wander to Annabeth for a minute. She was talking to Laura, pointing to something on the floor plan, probably the table where Octavian would sit. He couldn’t sit just anywhere, in fact, he’d probably get the best table in the restaurant. Percy was sure that, before their controversial guest arrived, Annabeth would go to the dining room to check if the cutlery was perfectly aligned and polished and if the napkin was properly folded. He chuckled at the thought of her moving the salad fork just slightly, frowning at its misplacement.

His train of thought was interrupted by Jackie, the waitress, bringing in the first ticket.

“First table up,” Annabeth announced, spelling out the order.

“Chins up, everyone. We’ve got this!” Percy said.

He could tell the team needed some encouragement, and so did their Chef. After he did a round in the kitchen, at a calmer moment, he walked up to the pass.

“Chef,” he called, “how’s it going?”

“Fine,” Annabeth responded quickly.

He nodded. “It’ll be okay. You’ve got a great team.”

She took a deep breath and nodded. “It’ll be okay.”

Percy took that as a win and went back to work. Service passed quickly, and sooner than he expected, Annabeth had Octavian’s ticket in her hands.

“This is the one, everyone, listen up!” She called. “Pay attention, it’s going to be tricky - one calamari no pepper, one papoutsakia with lemon added to the sauce, one spaghetti no truffle oil and one strawberry mousse.”

“Are you kidding me?” Percy exclaimed. “The only thing he didn’t change was the strawberry mousse!”

“Told you. Keep a closer eye on everything, I don’t want a single noodle to taste off.”

“Yes, Chef.”

He did. Percy knew they could not keep Octavian waiting, but he made sure everyone was extra careful. He was able to save an overcooked spaghetti from being sent to the pass, which would certainly not get past Annabeth, but more than anything, he wanted to avoid that stress.

The kitchen watched in terror each time Annabeth tasted all the dishes one last time before sending them to the dining room. Starter, entrées, and finally dessert made their way to Octavian Rann’s table. After that, the stress in the kitchen lowered a little bit, but everyone was anxious to hear Chef Rann’s feedback on the food.

They had to wait until the end of the night, when he went to the kitchen, unannounced, to tell them himself.

Percy had seen Octavian Rann on the internet before, but never in person. He was tall and skinny, with long arms crossed over his chest. He had a very pale complexion and expression that Percy could not describe as anything else but a resting bitch face.

Annabeth, who had her elbow resting on the pass talking to Piper, immediately straightened her back when he entered the room. Percy thought if she ever looked at him the way she was looking at Octavian, he’d quit his job out of embarrassment.

“Octavian,” she greeted coldly.

“Annabeth. So this is your kitchen?” Octavian motioned to the room.

“Yes. Did you enjoy your meal?”

“I did. Your take on Greek food is interesting.”

“Thank you.”

Octavian’s eyes traveled through the kitchen and stopped on Percy.

“And I assume you’re the new sous chef?” He asked.

“I am the sous chef, yes.”

“How do you like this restaurant?”

“It’s incredible. Chef Chase is an amazing chef.”

Octavian nodded. Percy hated the way he stood in the room like he owned it.

“You’ve exceeded my expectations, Annabeth. I suppose I taught you well.”

 _Taught her?_ Things started to make sense. Annabeth had worked in Octavian’s kitchen. She might have started her career as his line cook.

Percy’s breath caught in his chest. He could not believe this asshole had the guts to come into the restaurant, change every dish he ordered from the menu, go in someone else’s kitchen uninvited and try to take credit for the excellent food he’d had. Whether or not he’d taught Annabeth, he had no right to come into _her_ restaurant and act like her success was his to claim.

All the other cooks seemed to be just as outraged. Looking at his colleagues, Percy didn’t see a single smile. All of them looked like they were more than ready for Octavian to leave.

“Thank you for coming,” Annabeth said finally. “I’m glad you enjoyed your food.”

Finally, Octavian realized he was no longer wanted. He thanked Annabeth for the food and left. The team watched him walk out in silence, then turned to their Chef. She leaned over the pass and put her face on her hands. Percy almost started worrying when he realized she was laughing lightly to herself.

“Oh, god,” she said, “I can’t believe that just happened.”

“You okay, Chef?” Lucy asked.

“I’m great,” Annabeth responded. “You all did great. Congratulations, everyone.”

The temperature in the kitchen went from zero to eighty in a matter of seconds. It was like a weight had been collectively lifted off everyone’s backs.

“We should celebrate,” Annabeth said. “Is everyone up for some wine at my place? We haven’t done anything together in a while, and I know it’s been a stressful few months.”

The kitchen erupted into applause. Piper even gave her a hug, which Annabeth welcomed warmly.

Percy realized he was the only one who didn’t know where Annabeth lived when every other person but her and himself had left with a ‘see you later’ and he was still standing there.

“Do you need a ride, Percy?” Annabeth asked.

“Not necessarily, I just don’t know your address.”

“Come on, then, I’ll drive you.”

Percy smiled. “Thanks.”

* * *

The second time Percy rode in Annabeth Chase’s car was very different from the second. He no longer felt the need to measure his every word, concerned about the impression he would make. The air felt lighter, painted brighter by their success on the night’s dinner service. They didn’t talk about Octavian - the subject felt too heavy, and Percy was happy to see a genuine, lighthearted smile on Annabeth’s face for the first time in days.

“I forgot to tell you,” Percy said, “but I don’t drink, so I’m going to pass on the wine. I’ll stay for the company, though.”

“That’s alright. I hear you like ginger ale, so I got some for you,” Annabeth smiled.

That made Percy feel something weird in the pit of his stomach. Not only did Annabeth already know he didn’t drink, she went out of her way to accommodate him.

“How did you know I don’t drink?”

“Piper told me. Before you got to the restaurant yesterday, I told Piper I was planning on inviting everyone over and she gave me a heads up.”

“I appreciate it. Thank you, Annabeth.”

“Don’t mention it.”

When they arrived, everyone else was still on the way. Annabeth led Percy to the elevator (“let’s hope this goes well for us this time,” she joked) and into her apartment. It was not large, which was unsurprising because it was located in Manhattan, but it was very well decorated.

“Before I realized I wanted to cook, I thought I was going to be an architect,” she explained. “I even applied for a couple of schools.”

“And what happened?”

“I lasted one semester. My family was not happy.”

“Really? I would figure you’re a pretty nerdy person.”

“Maybe if I actually loved architecture as much as I love cooking, then I would have finished. It just wasn’t for me. It wasn’t worth dealing with my ADHD and dyslexia for four years to get a diploma for something that wouldn’t make me feel realized.”

“I’m ADHD and dyslexic too!” Percy exclaimed.

He found it hard to believe he and Annabeth had that in common. She’d always seemed so centered, focused all the time. He couldn’t picture her struggling with the same things as he did. All of a sudden, she felt more human, more real.

The buzzer rang.

“I’ll get it,” Annabeth said, “make yourself at home.”

Percy took a seat on the wide couch as Annabeth disappeared into the apartment to answer the buzzer. She returned a few moments later, handed Percy a ginger ale, and tipped the door open. They talked while they waited for everyone else to arrive.

The apartment was gradually flooded with tired but happy cooks ready to forget about work for a moment and celebrate a successful night. The room was buzzing with resounding laughter, and Percy couldn’t help but observe how nice Annabeth looked, a relaxed smile dancing on her lips and a slight blush tinting her cheeks. The glimmer in her eyes almost erased the danger of these thoughts, but he sipped his ginger ale and ignored the rational voice in his head telling him to think of something else.

The clock read 2:34am when the last one of the line cooks left, and Percy realized he was the only guest left.

“Don’t feel pressured to leave because everyone else did,” Annabeth said. “I’m enjoying our conversation.

 _Leave,_ Percy’s mind told him, _before you get yourself in trouble._

“I’ll have another ginger ale,” Percy said instead.

He and Annabeth were sitting on opposite sides of the couch. Her legs were crossed, her arm hanging loosely from the side.

“Can I ask a question? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to,” Percy asked.

“Go ahead.”

“Why do you despise Octavian so much? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a fan either, but…”

Annabeth sighed. “You probably already guessed I worked for him.”

“I figured.”

“Well, I pretty much started my career in his kitchen. I was very excited to work there, because he’s a renowned chef with a very famous restaurant, so I thought he’d be able to help my career grow.”

She paused, seeming unsure, so Percy nodded to ensure he was listening. He wanted her to know she could trust him.

“It was fine at first,” she continued. “I learned a lot, obviously, and I got all the applause I’d been expecting for being hired by Octavian Rann. But after a few weeks, I started to notice things were a bit different than I’d initially thought. He went through wait staff _really_ quickly, I mean, there was one girl that was fired after one day on the job. I wanted to believe it was their fault, that they were being incompetent, because I wanted to think the problem was with _them,_ not with the restaurant and the Chef I worked with. Then, one day, I saw him yelling at one of the only waiters that had managed to stick around for a while because he broke a plate. It was awful, he told him he was fucking useless, that he should be thankful he wasn’t living on the streets.”

“Holy shit.”

“Yeah. And I’d talked to someone else that had worked for him, and she told me he treated people like shit, but I didn’t listen. But after that incident with the waiter I started picking up on other things. Back then, it was only me and another woman in the kitchen, and he insisted on calling us ‘sweetheart’, ‘honey’, pet names like that, it was so inappropriate, but I figured it was the opportunity of a lifetime, so it was a small price to pay. Except it wasn’t just that. He always questioned what we did, but when a male cook did the same thing it was fine. He refused to listen to any feedback from us, he treated us like we were dumb, but I still told myself it was fine because it was too big of a chance to throw away.”

“So what happened?”

“Laura, who’s our maître d’, was a waitress there. We were pretty close and one day she told me she hadn’t been paid in two months, and Octavian told her it was because the restaurant was going through financial trouble. I knew that was bullshit, because we were always overbuying, there was a ton of waste every night because he always threw entire dishes out if one thing was off, and he always kept bragging about how successful the restaurant was. Later I decided to ask one of the male cooks how much he made, one who’d been there for as long as I had, and he made almost double what I made. That’s when I quit. I kept in touch with Laura and hired her when I opened the Parthenon, and she told me Octavian was in a huge wage theft scandal because he didn’t pay his waiters, and there was a lot of money going into keeping it under the covers.”

“Wow. I had no idea, that’s fucking terrible.”

“It is. I know what I’m saying when I say some men in this industry are pieces of shit, and he’s a prime example of that. Which is why I was less than happy when he invited himself to have dinner at the restaurant.”

“Honestly, I admire the fact you even let him come. I would have just said ‘no, thanks’.”

“Well, if I do that, I’m a bitch. Sometimes you have to do things you don’t want to,” Annabeth’s voice was low.

Percy’s heart sunk when he saw a single tear trail down her cheek. He felt the urge to grab her hand, comfort her in any way he could, but he felt like he shouldn’t.

“I’m sorry, Annabeth,” is what he settled for instead. There was nothing else he could say, and he knew that.

She nodded and got up.

“Can I take your cup?” She asked.

Percy handed her his empty cup and stood up too.

“Thank you for telling me that,” he said. “It can’t be an easy memory.”

“It isn’t,” she agreed, “but I think you deserve to know. I trust you.”

Percy smiled softly, and was glad when she returned it.

“Thanks for having me. I had a great time,” he said. “And congrats on tonight. You deserve it.”

He wasn’t thinking when he squeezed her shoulder before saying goodbye. He didn’t notice he wasn’t thinking, because Annabeth just smiled up at him and said it back. He felt light on the subway ride home, which reminded him of the day of the market, the first time he had spent time with her. All of a sudden the conversation they’d had in the elevator hit him in the head. She hadn’t said it these words, but she’d made it very clear they could never be romantically involved. He wondered why this bothered him so much - he had no reason to contest this, no reason to disagree. Her reasons were valid, and it’s not like either of them had the intention of being in a relationship when she said it.

So why did the implied _never_ in her words sound so loud?

The truth is, Percy knew why.

He knew when he got in her car earlier that day. He knew when he agreed to stay for another ginger ale. He knew when he fought the urge to wipe her tears away with his thumb, and he knew when he squeezed her arm on the way out.

 _Idiot,_ Percy told himself, _fucking idiot._

 _Never_ hurt because he wanted a _maybe_. He wanted a chance. He wanted her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter title from taylor swift's 'getaway car'
> 
> thank you for reading!! as always, feedback is appreciated. i'm on tumblr @annabetncnase


	4. i'd be smart to walk away (but you're quicksand)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy's feelings for Annabeth become deeper and deeper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here you all go!!!! enjoy while you can ;)
> 
> thank you for @biclarisselarue and @vll8586 for betaing

In spite of himself, Percy Jackson fell in love with Annabeth Chase. It didn’t happen overnight, and it didn’t happen because he wanted to.

He hated his heart for racing like a teenager’s every time she walked into the room. He regretted extending their conversations every chance he got, even though it hurt him more to do the opposite. He cursed his own brain for starting to notice things: how her hair looked ruffled after she removed her headband, how her brows furrowed in concentration every time she tried a dish, how her voice pitched down just a bit when she was giving orders to the team.

The moment in which Percy truly fell in love with Annabeth was this: she was showing him a dessert she was considering putting on the menu. She grabbed a strawberry, and was about to cut into it when she paused and examined it for a moment.

“This strawberry is shaped just like a heart,” Annabeth said after laughing softly. “I’ll use another one.”

She set the fruit down, picked up another one, cut it into thin slices and placed them neatly on the plate, next to the vanilla bean cake with jelly frosting.

“What do you think?” She asked.

“I think it’s menu worthy,” Percy responded. “Simple and delicious, like everything else we make.”

“That’s what I thought.” Annabeth smiled and picked up the heart shaped strawberry. “Do you want this? I thought it looked too cute to cut, but I think it should still be eaten.”

Percy took the heart Annabeth offered (he tried his hardest to ignore the hypothetical poetic parallels of this interaction) and ate it. It tasted sweet and perfect.

His response was limited to a “thanks” in fear that allowing himself to express anything more sentimental than that would end in disaster.

So, a few months into his most promising job and the best career step Percy had ever made, Percy Jackson was in love with his boss - he figured that would be his luck. His days in the restaurant now consisted of cooking, supervising the team, repressing his feelings and other restaurant related tasks. It was quite a time.

* * *

“Any other tickets?” Annabeth asked Laura.

“No, Chef. That’s it for tonight,” Laura informed her.

“Alright, everyone, clean up,” the Chef told the team. “Good work tonight.”

Percy waited until mostly everyone was gone to approach Annabeth.

“Chef, I need to talk to you.”

“Go for it,” Annabeth said.

“I was keeping my eye on the fish station today and Lucy had quite a few slip ups. I asked her if everything was okay after she tried to send a couple of raw dishes and she said it’s just a bad day, but I think it’s worth taking a look into.”

Annabeth nodded. “This has happened before, but… I’ll have a talk with her. Lucy’s got her particularities. Thanks for letting me know.”

Percy’s phone buzzed and he pulled it out to check it. It was a text from Piper that said  _ look at this _ followed by a link.

Percy was very pleasantly surprised by what he read.

“Oh, my god, Annabeth, you have to see this.”

‘Star Chef Octavian Rann under New York State investigation for labor rights violations’, the headline read. He handed Annabeth the phone and watched her eyebrows raise in surprise as she scrolled down and read the entire article.

“Holy shit, the entire wait team quit at the same time,” she said. “Oh, god, I can’t believe some of these people are still there.”

“What do you think is going to happen?”

“I don’t know,” she considered. “I mean, he can definitely afford a good lawyer, but if these people are this well-organized, they might have a good case. I hope they win.”

“It’s what he deserves for treating you the way he did,” Percy said, regretting the words the minute they came out of his mouth.

He was sure he would be told that was an inappropriate comment, and what happened to Annabeth was her business alone. He thought any intimacy she had allowed him over the past few months would be gone.

Instead, she just smiled. It was fleeting - Percy wouldn’t have seen it if he hadn’t been paying attention. Then she looked at him and handed him his phone, and he didn’t miss how his fingers brushed against hers.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Percy.”

Annabeth didn’t wait for him to respond.

* * *

_ A _ _ nnabeth: Octavian contacted me today _

_ Annabeth: He asked me to testify for him _

_ Percy: What did you say? _

_ Annabeth: I still haven’t responded _

_ Annabeth: I’m not going to, obviously _

_ Annabeth: I just don’t know what to say _

_ Percy: I’m surprised he had the balls to ask you that _

_ Percy: Doesn’t take an expert to tell you don’t like him _

_ Annabeth: I’m honestly shocked _

_ Annabeth: I know I should be polite and say “no, thank you” but I really want to tell him to fuck off _

_ Percy: The polite one is definitely the best one _

_ Percy: But it would be so amazingly Annabeth if you told him to fuck off -  _ Read 12:34am

* * *

Annabeth’s father dined at the restaurant one day, and she was almost as freaked out as when Octavian came.

“When my dad’s ticket comes, I need you to run the pass,” she said. “I want to cook his meal myself.”

So, about halfway into the night, Percy switched places with Annabeth.

“Don’t worry too much,” he said, before she could start cooking. “I know you want him to eat well, but I’m sure he’ll love whatever you make him.”

She nodded. “You’re right. The customers, however, will not, so do your job,” she said, but she was smiling. Percy was happy to know she trusted him with the command of the kitchen, even though it was part of his job.

“Yes, Chef,” Percy agreed.

At the end of the night, Annabeth brought her dad into the kitchen to show him around and introduce him to the staff. He was a short man who looked to be in his sixties. Annabeth was a lot taller than him, but Percy could see the similarities - the sharp nose and the wide eyes that looked like they’d seen it all.

“Everyone, this is my father, Frederick Chase.”

Frederick smiled and waved. “Hello. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”

He greeted everyone in the kitchen individually, and Percy was last.

“Dad, this is Percy Jackson, my sous chef.”

“The infamous sous chef.” Frederick shook Percy’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, young man. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Percy looked to Annabeth for any indication of what that meant, but he got nothing. Her eyes were fixed on the floor.

“All good things, I hope,” Percy tried.

Frederick nodded and laughed. “Of course, of course.”

As Percy was getting ready to leave, he saw Annabeth and her father talking. He caught them looking at him for a moment as Frederick was speaking. They looked away, and Annabeth shook her head furiously. He was too far away to tell for sure, but Percy could have sworn she was blushing.

* * *

Percy’s phone was ringing, which was strange, because the only person who ever called him was his mother, and they’d talked earlier.

He picked it up and looked at the screen - it was Annabeth.

“Annabeth?” He answered. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes. No. Kind of,” her voice was shaky.

“What’s going on?”

“Violet died.”

Percy took a moment to remember who that was, but his brain took him back to that day in the fish market. Violet was the lady who had sold them the symi shrimp and saved their dinner service.

“I’m so sorry,” Percy said. “What can I do?”

“Can you come meet me at her store?”

He didn’t need to know why.

“Be there in twenty minutes.”

When Percy arrived, Annabeth was standing by the elevator, speaking to a younger man. She excused herself when she saw him.

“Hi,” she said.

“Hey.” Percy wasn’t sure if he should give her a hug, so he decided not to. “How are you?”

“I’m okay. It’s just… she was a really special person.” Annabeth wiped off a tear. “I just found out. I came over to buy some stuff for myself and her son told me.”

“I really am sorry.”

“Thanks.” She sniffled. “Anyway, I called you cause I need your help with some stuff. Apparently her family just decided to give away some of her things and they offered me these two huge wok pans.”

“You need help carrying them home?”

“Yeah. I didn’t drive here because I thought I wouldn’t be bringing much… I’m so sorry, Percy, I realize how inconvenient this is. I didn’t think- I’m sorry, you can go home if you want. I’ll figure this out-”

“Hey,” he stopped her, “it’s alright. You don’t have to apologize. I’ll help you.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Come on, let’s get the pans.”

Percy immediately understood why Annabeth asked for help. The pans really were big, it would have been way too difficult to carry both of them by herself. Percy picked up one of them and followed Annabeth, offering his condolences to Violet’s family on the way out.

The picture of the two of them carrying around two almost five feet wide pans on the NYC subway would have been funny if Annabeth wasn’t so sad. They didn’t talk much on the ride to her apartment.

They took the stairs to her apartment to avoid crowding the elevator. Percy followed her into the kitchen. When he came over for wine (or in his case, ginger ale) when they celebrated with the team, he’d only stayed in the living room. He was surprised to see the room wasn’t as neat as he’d expected. Some dishes were yet to be done on the sink, and there were a few things - forks, cups, tupperware - lying around.

She opened a side cabinet and tried her best to fit the two pans in. The door didn’t fully close, but she didn’t seem to mind.

“I’ll figure that out later.”

Annabeth held onto the counter, looking at the floor. She looked lost in thought, like when she’s deciding whether or not a dish looks good enough to be sent to the dining room.

“Let me make you lunch,” she said finally, “it’s the least I can do.”

Any rationality immediately flew out the window. “Sure. What’s on the menu, Chef?”

Percy was glad to see her lips break into a smile. “I don’t know. Any suggestions?”

“I hear you make a mean spaghetti and meatballs.”

Annabeth nodded. “Yes, but with a twist.”

“Wouldn’t expect any less from you.”

Percy almost forgot they’d just carried around a dead person’s cooking apparatus. They cooked together, rolled meatballs and made sauce - Annabeth’s “secret recipe” which she had no problem sharing with him. By the time the pasta was in the pan, they were laughing together, talking about food and memes and Youtube videos.

As for the final product, it was delicious. Percy wasn’t exactly surprised, but Annabeth’s cooking always managed to impress him, even though he reproduced it for a living every single day.

“This is fucking perfect,” Percy said. “I’ve never liked putting basil in tomato sauce, but yours pretty much convinced me.”

“It’s all about the balance,” she responded, “but you know that.”

“I sure hope so, or else you would’ve made a mistake hiring me.”

“Definitely not a mistake. You’re the best cook I’ve ever worked with.”

Whatever Percy was going to say next caught in his throat. His heart almost jumped out of his mouth as he searched for a boss-appropriate response as opposed to any of the several sentimental suggestions his impulsive brain was offering him. She spoke again before he could find any.

“Are you done?” She motioned to his plate.

“Um, yes. Thank you.”

“Let me get your plate.”

“No, it’s okay,” he got up and helped her clean the table.

Annabeth added their plates to the now taller pile of dishes on the sink, and Percy decided not to say anything. His sink didn’t look much better. He watched her minimally organize the mess from the door.

While she rinsed a plate before setting it aside, she glanced at him and smiled, as if his presence in her kitchen was the most natural thing in the world. Percy’s heart ached at how domestic it felt.

She dried her hands and walked towards the door, stopping in front of Percy.

“Thanks for lunch,” he said.

“Anytime,” she answered. “Percy?”

“Yes?”

A moment later, Annabeth was kissing him. Before he could even realize what was happening, her hands were in his hair, her chest was pressed up against his torso and her lips were insistent against his. Her name was the only rational thought Percy could form as finally,  _ finally,  _ his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

Her lips were soft and she tasted the smallest bit like tomato sauce. When she pulled apart, Percy rested his forehead against hers, breathing her in.

Abruptly, she stepped back.

“I…” she stuttered, “I’m sorry, I…”

Percy was done holding back. He stepped forward and grabbed both of her hands.

“Annabeth, it’s okay.”

“No, Percy, I shouldn’t-”

He allowed himself to cup her cheek. “Annabeth, please, don’t apologize,” he asked her. “Don’t let this end.”

Slowly, looking up at him, she nodded. “You don’t want it to?”

“God, no.”

“Kiss me, then,” her voice was almost a whisper.

She didn’t have to ask twice.

They ended up on the couch, Annabeth on his lap. Percy had turned his brain off for anything that wasn’t her, her lips on his and his hands traveling up and down her back. A very small voice on the back of his mind warned him to stop before he could regret going too far, but it was drowned out by the sound of Annabeth’s breathing, heavy as he kissed her neck.

He would’ve stayed there for hours just enjoying the feeling of her skin against his, but they had to go to work.

Percy gulped. They had to go to work, together, in the same exact location. He’d been able to keep his shit together so far, but now that he’d just made out with the girl he loved for who knows how long, and he was pretty sure she’d left at least one hickey, he didn’t know how he was supposed to show up to the restaurant with a straight face. 

For better or for worse, Annabeth didn’t look much better. Her hair looked messy in a way that sent Percy’s mind to all the wrong places, her lips were swollen and her face was flushed.

Annabeth went to her room to change and make herself presentable, and Percy went to the bathroom to at least make sure his face looked okay.

“We can’t arrive at the restaurant together,” she said after coming back to the living room.

“I’ll take the subway and you’ll drive?” Percy suggested.

“Sure,” she said. “Percy… are you sure you’re okay with this?”

“Yes. I’m very sure.”

“I don’t want you to feel like-”

“I don’t. I want this, Annabeth,” he approached her and pressed a kiss to her forehead, relishing the way her eyes fluttered shut.

“I do too,” she agreed. “And… god, I don’t want this to sound like I think poorly of you, but people can’t know. At least, not until I figure something out.”

“That’s okay,” Percy reassured her. “I understand.”

He really did. As much as he would love to show her off to his friends, introduce her to his mom and take her on cheesy public dates, he was satisfied with having her as his… whatever this was. It was more than nothing, of that he was sure, and it was more than he’d ever expected.

* * *

In the kitchen, Percy only looked at her when he absolutely had to. He ignored the fact that her hair, now pulled back by a bandana, has been undone between his fingers just a few hours prior. He limited his words to “yes, Chef”, “no, Chef”, “coming to the pass now, Chef”. Annabeth did the same - her eyes were almost constantly avoiding his, the trained Chef’s posture as unreadable as ever.

Thank god, dinner service went by without incidents, meaning Percy didn’t respond with anything along the lines of “uhhhh” when Annabeth asked where the calamari was or stare at her for five minutes straight while someone burned the lamb.

He was almost dying to touch her again when he was finally alone with her. He double checked that everyone else was gone before approaching her in her office.

Despite earlier, Percy was still hesitant, scared to cross a line. The minute he walked in, however, Annabeth put away the papers she was looking at and walked up to him, placing her hands on his shoulders. He put his arms around her waist and examined her face. Her features were surprisingly calm, a soft smile dancing on her lips. When her eyes descended to his lips, he tilted his head down and kissed her, slowly, waiting for her response.

Her hands gripped his shirt and she crowded him against her desk. She pressed herself against him, and Percy let his hands wander on her upper body. They stopped when his shoulder bumped against a pile of binders on the table, making them fall with a thud on the floor.

“We should go somewhere else… if you want,” Percy added in a hurry.

Annabeth considered his offer. She bit her lip while thinking, which almost caused Percy to miss what she said next.

“Where?”

“My place is free. It’s not as fancy as yours, but…”

“Yeah, that sounds nice.”

So, Percy rode in Annabeth’s car for the third, and also the best time. He guided her to his address, and soon afterwards, they were standing in his living room.

His apartment was definitely more modest - smaller, and not as well decorated. Percy didn’t really mind, but the irrational part of his brain was afraid Annabeth wouldn’t be pleased. His fear disappeared, however, when she said, “That couch looks  _ so  _ comfortable.”

Percy smiled. “Best couch in the city, but don’t fact-check that.”

“I believe you,” she said. “Can I use the bathroom?”

He pointed to the hallway. “The door on the left.”

Percy went to his room to wait for Annabeth. He realized she might want to shower after a long night in the hot kitchen, so he pulled out a clean towel and, just in case, a change of clothes.

She found him a few moments later, and stopped at the door. Percy got up.

“I’m going to hop in the shower real quick, and if you wanna shower too I have a towel for you. And, um, some clothes if you want.”

She nodded. “Thanks, Percy. I think I will.”

If Percy thought post-makeout Annabeth was overwhelming, he was  _ not  _ ready for Annabeth fresh out of the shower. Her skin glimmered from the humidity and her wet hair kind of stuck to the sides of her face. Most of all, though, the sight of her slim figure in his old Knicks t-shirt nearly sent him straight to the ER. He’d also given her a pair of sweatpants that he got as a gift and were a size too small, but he’d forgotten to exchange.

“Did the shower work okay?” He asked after he regained his ability to verbalize thought.

“Yeah. You know, out of all the men I’ve ever met, you definitely have the most expensive hair products.”

“You think I look this good for free?” He joked.

“Clearly not.” Annabeth laughed.

She sat at the edge of his bed and crossed her hands over her thighs.

“We should talk,” she said.

Percy nodded.

“I know you already told me this is okay earlier, but I just want to make sure we’re on the same page. I  _ am  _ your boss, after all, and I need to know you’re really consenting to this. I genuinely care about you, and I don’t want you to think you have to do anything just because you work for me.”

He moved closer to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“You’re not forcing me to do anything, trust me. I want this more than you know.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Annabeth’s smile was almost too much.

“I only have one question,” Percy added.

“Yeah?”

“I don’t mean to be too overbearing, but this is a tricky situation, so I think we should establish some things.”

“Right.”

“Are we exclusive?”

“I think we should be. Do you?”

“Yes.”

“And we’ve established we’re keeping it between us for now.”

“Yes. At least until… you know,”  _ at least until I know if this is going anywhere. At least until I know if you’re worth making major changes to my carefully planned life. _

Percy nodded. “Annabeth, I really care about you,” an understatement, to say the least, “and you can trust me. I want you to know that.”

“I care about you too.”

Annabeth cupped her hand around his neck and kissed him, shifting closer to him. Percy pulled her closer. His hands traveled down her back and stopped at her hips, moving with her as she climbed on his lap. They fell down on the bed, and Percy’s arms wrapped around her waist as he kissed her with everything he had and more.

Percy realized neither of them felt it was right to go much further that night. He was still scared to take more than she wanted to give, to break the delicate balance they’d created. However, he was still more than happy.

That night, Percy fell asleep with Annabeth beside him. Her hand rested on his chest, and he covered it with his own. He was almost asleep when she felt her fingers intertwine with his. If it wasn’t for his racing heart and the sound of a storm pounding against his window, he would have sworn he was dreaming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for keeping up with this story, i'm having a lot of fun with it and i hope you all are too!!! we only have two more chapters left so hopefully you're enjoying where the story is going so far :)  
> comments are always appreciated and you can also reach out to me on tumblr @theseaofmonster
> 
> chapter title from taylor swift's 'treacherous'


	5. loose lips sink ships all the damn time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annabeth and Percy are finally together - can they keep it a secret for long?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehehehehe i cant wait for yall to read this. its a little longer but i also posted it a day earlier so yall have more time to process  
> thank you again to biclarisselarue and vll8586 for betaing!!

Here are some things Percy loved about being in a relationship with Annabeth: getting to see her angrily hit snooze on her alarm in the morning, to then turn to Percy, snuggle against his chest and mumble “just a little longer”. Exploring her skin with his fingertips, mapping every dimple and stretch mark and imprinting it on his brain so he’d never forget. Hearing the soft sounds she made when he kissed the spot above her collarbone, and the not so soft ones when his lips went lower and lower.

The secrecy was exciting. He probably would have gotten sick of it if it had lasted for long, but there was something thrilling about knowing he was hers, and she was his, and this was only for them to know.

And Piper.

It didn’t take her long to figure it out, really. The minute Percy took a second longer to answer why he was being weird, she knew. She didn’t know how to react at first, but the minute Percy told her, “I love her, Pipes,” she swore her lips were sealed. Percy told Annabeth about it the same day, and it took some calming down, but she understood. 

So that is where they stood. Percy, absolutely and almost completely secretly in love with Annabeth; and Annabeth… well, Percy wasn’t sure his big feelings were reciprocated. However, he wasn’t sure he cared. So long as he could wake up in the morning with her next to him, he was satisfied.

On that day, he woke up alone. Annabeth had some errands to run for the restaurant after dinner service, so they each slept in their own apartments. He realized that, even alone in his bed, he could no longer sleep on her side.

He thought about it for the rest of the day, or at least until he went in for work. Past the doors of the Parthenon kitchen, he was in a feelings-free zone, which was a lot easier now that he had an effective outlet for those feelings. In the kitchen, she was Chef Chase, and he was her employee. Her words didn’t bear the sweetness they did when she was whispering in his ear, late at night where only he could hear. They were sharp, harsh, commanding, generally directed to a group of people from which he only stood out professionally.

Percy and Annabeth had developed a routine. They’d stick around, stalling, putting pans away, moving things around, looking busy until everyone was gone. Then, they’d decide on whose place to go to. That night, they chose Annabeth’s.

Going to work together was out of the question, but they figured leaving was fine, so Annabeth drove him home. Her car was a familiar place now. Percy could name every CD she had in the glove compartment, and which radio station she liked best. The inside smelled like vanilla and her lemon shampoo.

“Do you want a snack?” Annabeth asked when they arrived.

“Yes, please.”

Percy sat on the couch and turned on the TV, not caring much about what was on. He was mostly interested in the woman that was sitting next to him, holding a bag of chips (which she would swear to the end of the world she didn’t actually like.)

“I talked to Lucy today,” she said.

“Yeah? How’d it go?”

“I asked her if she was having any personal problems that were affecting her performance, and she said no. So I told her I wanted to see an improvement, or else we’d have to consider more drastic measures.”

“How did she take it?”

“She didn’t say anything, but she wasn’t happy.” Annabeth sighed. “It’s a shame. She’s a good cook and a sweet person, but she hasn’t been up to the restaurant’s standards lately. I can’t allow that.”

“Of course not. It’s your reputation that’s on the line.”

“Exactly.” She rested her head on Percy’s shoulder. “I don’t wanna talk about the restaurant anymore. What are you watching?”

“Um, one of those house makeover shows. Property Brothers? I don’t care, though. You can change the channel if you want.”

“I think I’d rather do something else,” Annabeth decided, putting the food aside and moving closer to him.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. He was lying down on the couch, looking up at her. He ran a thumb on her cheek, over her dimples, and she leaned into the touch.

“God, you’re so beautiful,” Percy told her.

Annabeth’s eyes were intense when she leaned down to kiss him. She pressed herself up to him and he pulled her closer, close enough to erase every millimeter of space between them. Everything else was drowned out, Percy’s brain went into overdrive with her, her,  _ her.  _ As her lips trailed down his neck, he realized there was nothing else in the world that could drive him as insane as she currently was, making his skin burn everywhere she touched. As long as he was alive, he decided, he’d let her ruin him like this.

He was hers, undoubtedly and completely.

* * *

Later, he was lying on top of her, his chin propped up so he could look at her. Annabeth’s arms were enclosed around Percy’s back, drawing circles in his skin with her thumb.

“I want you to meet my mom,” Percy said. “And before you say anything, we don’t have to tell her. She could come to eat at the restaurant and visit the kitchen, like your dad did.”

Percy thought Sally would figure it out either way, but Annabeth didn’t need to know that yet.

“That sounds nice,” she said. “I’m curious to meet the woman who raised you.”

He laughed. “Not an easy job, I can tell you that.”

“Why?”

“I wasn’t an easy kid. My ADHD was diagnosed late, so my teachers thought I was the devil. I didn’t do well at school either, so they just sort of… gave up on me. My mom never did, though, even when I got kicked out when I was twelve.”

“But you’re so smart,” Annabeth said, and she sounded sincere. “I’m sorry they gave up on you. You didn’t deserve that, and I’m sure you were a sweet kid.”

“How are you so sure?”

“If you’re a sweet man, I can’t see how you could be a mean kid.”

Percy pressed a kiss to her jaw.

“You probably liked school,” he said.

“Kind of. My mom helped me with my dyslexia until she died, and then I was on my own. The stuff that she taught me helped, but my stepmom didn’t care, and my dad was always too busy. I did well, but it was really overwhelming sometimes. They kept saying I had to set an example to my little brothers, that I had to get into a good school, but they didn’t really acknowledge it when I did well.”

“I’m sure they were proud of you.”

“My dad probably was, but my stepmom always saw me as  _ his  _ kid.”

“She doesn’t know what she’s missing.”

Percy felt Annabeth’s hand move from his back to his hair, and she slowly ran her fingers through it. He laid his head on her chest and listened to her heartbeat, letting it ground him to her.

“What do you think your mom would like from the menu?” Annabeth asked.

“Anything,” he said, then at second thought, “but she’ll probably order the spaghett.”

“Excellent choice.”

“She’s the one who taught me to make the orzo soup I made on the last day of the selection. You know, the best you’ve ever tasted.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes.”

“Maybe I should fire you and hire her, then. Get the talent straight from the source.”

“That’s funny.”

“I know. I’m hilarious.”

Percy disentangled himself from her. “I’ll show you hilarious,” he said, sitting up and tickling her stomach.

She wrestled his arms and squirmed, laughing loudly until she managed to grab hold of his wrists.

“Jerk,” Annabeth said, still smiling.

“Sorry, Chef. Please don’t fire me.” He poked her in the stomach once more.

“I’m seriously considering it. You can’t tickle your boss like that.”

Percy smiled, pulling her to him. “I’ll make up for it.”

* * *

Percy wished he hadn’t shown up to work. He wished he’d gotten up with a cold, been hit by a truck, anything that would have kept him from stepping foot in that kitchen that Wednesday.

The night started alright. The restaurant was busy, as usual, and they were getting dishes out at a good pace. They had a big table that day, eleven soccer players from a foreign team who were hungry and ordered an amount of food suitable for athletes who had trained all day. Annabeth was pushing the kitchen, trying to get the dishes out as quickly as possible.

“Where are the two last entrées?”

“Coming to the pass, Chef,” Melissa called back.

“Percy, how much calamari do we still have?” Annabeth asked.

“We’re halfway through, Annabeth.”

Percy immediately realized his mistake. He’d yelled his answer across the kitchen, so everyone had definitely heard him. The whole team was silent, unsure how to react.

Annabeth’s eyes drilled into him with heat he’d never seen before looking away and yelling, “What is everyone waiting for?” 

They all went back to their tasks, and Percy felt his heart sink to his stomach. What the  _ fuck  _ was wrong with him?

Her name was so comfortable on his tongue that he’d let it slip. He’d been careless, stupid. He tried to ignore the looks he got from the cooks, and the way Annabeth didn’t dare look at him for the rest of the night.

When the night was over, she ran out of the restaurant without sparing him a glance. Piper, however, stayed behind.

“Percy, what the hell?” She asked when everyone was gone.

Percy wished he had an answer. He felt sick to his stomach.

He buried his face in his hands. “I don’t fucking know. God, I’m so fucking stupid. I don’t know what to do. What am I going to say to her?”

“I don’t know, Percy, but that’s not your only problem. I’ve heard people talking. They were already suspicious, but now…”

“Fuck.  _ Fuck.  _ Piper, what the hell am I supposed to do? I ruined everything.”

“Maybe not yet, but you need to do  _ something.  _ You both need to talk to the team.”

Percy nodded, but the team was not his biggest concern. He couldn’t bear to think about Annabeth not forgiving him. He shut his eyes tight to stop the tears that were burning from falling.

“What if I lose her, Piper?”

Piper looked sad. She didn’t have an answer for him, Percy knew that, so she squeezed his hand.

“You need to let her clear her head. Don’t go after her right now,” Piper advised, anticipating his actions. “Go home and try to get some sleep.”

He nodded, knowing he’d be up all night.

* * *

_ Percy: Can I come over? _

_ Percy: We need to talk. Please. _

Annabeth took a while to respond. Percy knew she was already awake, she’d probably seen the text and was thinking, deciding on what to say, which words to use. Each second he waited was misery until his phone buzzed.

_ Annabeth: Yes. You can come over now. _

He was at her door half an hour later. She opened it without a word, stepping aside to let him in.

Percy didn’t know where to go, what to do. Annabeth was still standing by the now closed door, arms crossed over her chest. She was looking at him expectantly.

He took a deep breath. “Annabeth, I’m sorry. I fucked up, and I wish I could take it back.”

“Well, you can’t,” she snapped. “What the fuck, Percy? What were you thinking?”

“I- I don’t know. Trust me, I feel like complete shit.”

“I don’t feel very good either, but that doesn’t help anyone. What do you want me to say?”

He wanted her to say it was okay, but he knew she wouldn’t. It was not okay for many reasons, and she still didn’t know one of them.

“Annabeth, the team might know. Piper told me they were already suspicious before last night, but…”

“Oh, my god.” Annabeth moved from the door to the couch and sat down, covering her face with her hands. “That’s it, then. We need to tell them.”

“Tell them what?” Percy asked.

He was terrified of the answer. Would coming clean mean the end?

“That we’ve been in a relationship, and that it started  _ after  _ you were hired.” Annabeth shook her head. “And hope it fixes anything.”

They were a few feet away, but the distance felt much larger. Percy wanted to walk over and hold her hand, but he knew that was out of the question. There was no warmth in the way she was looking at him.

“What about us?” Percy asked.

“I don’t know.” Each word stung.

“Don’t give up yet, Annabeth. Please.”

A single tear streamed down her cheek. “Percy…”

_ Fuck it,  _ Percy thought, walking over to the couch, kneeling in front of her and grabbing her hands.

“Please, don’t give up. Please. Let’s at least try.”

_ I love you,  _ he wanted to say.  _ I love you, I love you, I can’t let you go. Please don’t let me go. _

Annabeth wouldn’t look at him.

“I need some time. We’ll talk to the team today, but I’m not- I don’t know what to do.”

“That’s alright,” Percy told her.

It hurt. He wanted to know she was still his, he wanted to kiss her and make it go away, before the uncertainty could kill him.

Instead, he got up and walked to the door.

“I’m sorry,” he said again before leaving. The doorknob was cold under his fingers as he closed the door. He almost opened it again when he heard Annabeth cry, but he forced himself to let go.

* * *

“Percy and I have been romantically involved for a few weeks now,” Annabeth said, standing before the team.

Percy was a few steps behind, silent, listening. He had nothing to say, but he could feel the team’s burning stares, searching his face.

“Our relationship started long after he was hired, and has been completely separate from how I treat him as an employee. I am sorry for keeping you in the dark. I realize this is a blow to your trust in me as your chef, and him as your sous chef.” She turned to Percy. “Would you like to say anything?”

“I am sorry too. I value all of you so much, and I don’t want you to feel like you’re being harmed. I know this is upsetting, and I’m truly, very sorry.”

“Does anyone have any questions? If you need to say anything, please do,” Annabeth asked.

Mary’s hand went up. “Why did you keep it a secret?”

“We were scared people would get the wrong idea. I realize now it might have been better to explain things from the start, at least to you all, but… I wasn’t sure what the reactions would be.”

“How do we know you’re really being impartial?” Lucy asked.

“I suppose you’ll have to trust me, but from my evaluation, Percy’s performance has been up to par. You are free to tell me if you think I’ve been letting things slide.”

“Are you telling the media?” Melissa spoke.

Annabeth looked back at Percy. They hadn’t discussed that, probably because they didn’t know if they’d have anything to tell.

“We’re not sure yet. We’ll keep you updated. Anything else?”

The team was silent.

“Thank you for listening, and, once again, I’m sorry. Don’t be afraid to reach out to me if you have any concerns,” Annabeth concluded. “Now, we have a long night ahead of us. Get to your stations, everyone.”

“Yes, Chef,” the team called back.

Percy worked almost mechanically. If he’d let his mind drift to anything but the food, he wouldn’t have been able to focus on anything but the growing pit in his stomach and the fact that Annabeth had barely said anything to him all day.

When the night ended, and Annabeth was leaving, she paused at the door.

“Goodbye, Percy.”

“Goodbye,” he said. The word burned his tongue, and he wanted to take it back.

He didn’t want a goodbye, not in that context, not in any other. The permanence of it felt like a punch in the gut.

It hurt, how even though she was walking away, she still held a grasp on him no one ever had. The bigger the distance between them, the more painful the pull on his heart fell. He wasn’t sure what would be worse - the tension, or the relief of cutting the string.

* * *

Percy wanted to give Annabeth time. He understood she needed it. However, he also wanted to somehow get rid of the doubt that was eating him from the inside. The decision of whether or not to break his heart beyond repair was solely in her hands, and the wait was killing him. He tried not to think about it as he went to work the next day, which was an impossible task. He’d spent the entire morning obsessively waiting for his phone to buzz with something,  _ anything _ that indicated that Annabeth wanted to talk to him.

And god, he missed her so much. It had only been a couple of days since it all happened, and he could feel his heart sink further and further down every minute he didn’t get to kiss Annabeth. He missed her hands on his, the way her voice softened when she was speaking to him, or even her smile. He hadn’t seen her smile since he said her name in the kitchen.

Annabeth didn’t smile when he walked into the restaurant either, or at all during service. The iron fist with which she ran the kitchen was colder than ever, at least to Percy.

Which is why he was surprised when, as he was getting ready to leave, he heard her voice.

“Percy, look at this.”

He stopped dead on his tracks and turned around. Annabeth was looking at her phone, mouth slightly ajar. He walked to her, heart racing, and glanced at what was on the screen.

‘Octavian Rann to pay labor rights reparations to over fifty employees,’ the page read.

“He’s gonna have to pay thousands of dollars,” Annabeth said. “I can’t believe it. He’s ruined.”

“Holy shit, Annabeth, that’s amazing.”

“Yeah,” short laughter bubbled from her lips, and Percy thought it was the best sound he’d heard all day. “It is amazing.”

“What are you going to do?”

Annabeth raised her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“Aren’t you going to celebrate? It’s what you wanted, right?”

“Yeah. Yeah… maybe I will.”

_ Not with me,  _ Percy thought, but it didn’t hurt as much.  _ Annabeth  _ had reached out to  _ him.  _ Maybe she was slowly forgiving him. Maybe she’d give him another chance. Probably not today, but this was, well, a start. A possibility.

The air was easier to breathe that night. Percy almost got a good night’s sleep for the first time since that day. Almost.

* * *

Percy woke up the next morning to a text from Annabeth, which meant he pinched himself at least five times to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. He was not.

_ Annabeth: I did celebrate last night _

The next text was a picture of a huge chocolate cake, decorated with strawberries and white chocolate fondant. Percy chuckled to himself.

_ Annabeth: Baking isn’t my forte, but I decided to treat myself _

_ Percy: It looks delicious _

_ Annabeth: It is _

_ Annabeth: It’s way too big, though, so I’ll share it with the team today _

_ Percy: Can’t wait to try it _

While Percy made lunch for himself, he pictured Annabeth in her messy kitchen, flour all over her face and chocolate dough on her clothes, sitting in front of the stove, watching the cake grow and listening to a podcast.

* * *

Percy was five minutes away from work when his phone buzzed. It was a Twitter link sent by Piper.

_ Piper: You’re not going to like this _

He clicked on the link, not knowing what to expect. When he read the tweet, he almost had a panic attack then and there.

_ @DickJohnson: An anonymous source has revealed that the controversial Percy Jackson, the first male cook in the Parthenon, is in a romantic relationship with Chef Annabeth Chase. Read more on Percy Jackson at http://bit.ly/0937e _

Percy closed his eyes and tried to breathe. What the fuck? He felt watched as he entered the kitchen through the back door. Annabeth wasn’t there, but apparently everyone else who was had already heard the news.

“Hey, Chef, I thought you guys were going to tell us when you told the media?” Mary asked.

“We didn’t,” Percy explained. “I don’t know who this anonymous source is, but it’s not either of us.”

Everyone started talking at the same time, but Percy couldn’t hear a thing. He felt panic and fear closing in, he wanted to shut himself off in his apartment and not leave until everyone forgot who he was. 

The kitchen became too overwhelming, so he ran off to the bathroom, hoping to calm down, throw some water on his face, but as he was walking in, Annabeth was leaving. 

She’d been clearly crying - her eyes were red and puffy, her bottom lip was still a little shaky and she was clutching a paper tissue. She stopped walking when she saw him.

“Annabeth-”

“I can’t talk about this right now,” she interrupted.

“But-”

“Percy, please. I’ll take care of it later. I have a kitchen to run and I need to focus.”

She pushed past him, and for a second, he couldn’t move. His shoulder burned where she’d touched him, and his field of vision seemed to be spinning. Percy walked slowly to the bathroom, and with shaky hands, he turned on the sink.

He let the cold water shake him out of his shock, and splashed it in his face until his own image in the mirror was no longer blurry.

_ I’ll take care of it later,  _ she said. Later. After service, he hoped. This was too much. His relationship, his career - it was all on the line. 

Percy somehow managed to get through service. He was definitely not on top of his game, but he couldn’t bring himself to care either. The mere fact that he went the entire night without losing it and walking out on the team was already a victory. He barely heard himself mumble goodbyes as everyone left for the day, because his brain was focused on something else.

He entered Annabeth’s office without knocking. She was staring at her computer screen, a hand covering her mouth, presumably already receiving backlash and questions about the tweet.

“We need to talk,” he said.

“Percy, not now-”

“Yes, now. I know this is hard for you but I’m losing my fucking mind over here and I can’t just go on without knowing.”

She shut her laptop and looked at him. “Knowing what?”

“Anything! I don’t know anything, Annabeth, because you haven’t talked to me in days even though I’m also a part of this fucking mess, and I don’t know what you want to do, what you’re thinking-”

“I’m thinking everything is shit. I’m thinking everything I’ve worked for for years might be ruined because someone decided to talk about something that shouldn’t have happened in the first place, and now I have to explain it to thousands of people who have no idea what is really happening. That’s what I’m thinking.”

“So what  _ are  _ you going to do? This is my career too.”

“I’m doing a public announcement tomorrow. I’ll post it on my website and explain everything.”

“Are you going to fire me?”

“No, Percy. I don’t have any grounds for it, and I don’t want you to stop working here either.”

“So?”

“So what?”

The look in Annabeth’s eyes told Percy she knew exactly what he meant.

He forced his voice to come out properly. “What about us?”

“There… there can’t be an us. I’m sorry, Percy.”

If she said anything else after that, he didn’t hear it. He walked out of her office without another word and started to head home.

New York City was bustling with cars and people, but it felt so fucking empty. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> take your anger out on me on my tumblr @theseaofmonster  
> chapter title from taylor swift’s ‘i know places’


	6. i don't want to keep secrets just to keep you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy finds it hard to adjust to work after the breakup.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> andddd here we are!!! final chapter. thank you all so much for reading and for your endless support. this story has been very cathartical to me and i hope it provides some joy in these dark times. however, this is a time to pay attention and stay active. we all need to fight for our black brothers and sisters who are suffering in the hands of a broken system. click [here](https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/) to see how you can help the black lives matter movement today. enjoy the story!

_Dear customers and collaborators,_

_I am writing to you to provide some clarifications about the news that has been released on the past day. I have seen your questions and comments and I appreciate your concern._

_My sous chef Percy Jackson and I were romantically involved for a short period of time. This relationship started long after his hiring, and therefore had no influence in his selection process. During the time of our involvement, I strived to separate our personal lives from our professional lives and be as critical of him in the kitchen as usual. It is my hope that my judgement wasn’t clouded and that the quality of the food remained up to Parthenon’s standards._

_We have decided to terminate our relationship in favor of avoiding conflict in our kitchen and with our team, who we cherish and appreciate. The quality of our food and service are of utmost importance to all of us at Parthenon._

_Thank you all for reaching out to me and listening. I hope to see you dining with us soon._

_Best,_

_Chef Annabeth Chase_

That’s what the public statement that Annabeth released on her website said. Percy, however, could only get through the first two sentences without wanting to throw his phone against the wall.

His phone was buzzing and ringing all day - it seemed like every single person he’d ever met had heard about his secret relationship and wanted to ask him about it. However, there was only one person Percy wanted to see.

The minute Sally Jackson saw his face, she knew. She pulled him into the apartment by the hand, sat him down on the couch and held him. Surrounded by the warmth of his mother’s arms, Percy let himself cry. It didn’t hurt any less, but the feeling of his mother caressing his hair made the pain feel less lonely.

Sally waited for him to calm down before wiping his tears off his face.

“Would you like to tell me what happened?” She asked.

Percy shrugged. “You already know. You saw it on the internet, right?”

“I’d like to hear it from you.”

He sighed, a little grateful that his younger sister Estelle and his stepfather Paul were both at school, respectively as a student and a teacher.

Percy told his mom. He told her about how he slowly fell for Annabeth knowing he might never get a chance with her, knowing being together could jeopardize both of their careers. And he explained that he was too in love to care about any of that when she kissed him that day in her apartment.

“I didn’t mean for this to happen. I never wanted to hurt her,” he promised.

“I know you didn’t, baby.”

“I don’t know what to do, mom.”

“Well, that depends on what you want to achieve, right?”

“I don’t know. I mean, I like my job, it’s great, but… I want to be with her. I don’t think I know how to be without her anymore.”

Sally gave him a sad look. “It’s really difficult to learn to live without the people we love, but sometimes, we have to.”

“I don’t want to learn. I don’t want to be without her.”

Percy was aware he sounded like a small child crying to his mother, but he was far from caring.

“How am I supposed to go back to work?” He asked. “I mean, I couldn’t even pay attention to what I was doing _before_ she broke up with me, but now…”

Sally grabbed his hand. “You may be heartbroken, Percy, but if I know my son—and I do, then I know you are extremely focused and hardworking. You understand the importance of what you are doing. I think you need to clear your mind, just a little bit. Right now, everything is a lot.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Why don’t you come with me to pick up Estelle from school later? She’ll be really excited to see you, and I think you could use some of her silly jokes today.”

Percy smiled. “Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.” He kissed his mother’s forehead and stood up. “Why don’t I make lunch today?”

He was going to tell Sally about how Annabeth joked about hiring her instead of him, but he stopped himself. The pit in his stomach he’d begun to forget stung once more.

“No way,” Sally said, noticing his change in demeanor. “My baby is home and I’m going to cook for him. How does some bean dip sound?”

“Sounds amazing, mom.”

* * *

Estelle’s little squeal when she saw Percy standing in front of her school when she left almost single handedly mended his broken heart. Almost.

Estelle Jackson-Blofis was eight years old and, according to Percy, the single most adorable human being on the planet. She stuck out her little arms and he picked her up.

“Hey, buddy,” he greeted her. “How was school?”

“It was boring. Why are you here? Don’t you have to make fancy food at your fancy restaurant?”

“Sure, but I wanted to say hi to you first.” Percy nuzzled her hair. “Didn’t you miss me?”

“Yes!” 

He pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I missed you too.”

“Put me down,” Estelle asked, “I wanna show you something.”

He complied, and she pulled him by the hand. They stopped by the swing, where another young girl was swinging and singing to herself.

“Percy, this is Claire,” Estelle announced. “Claire, this is my big brother.”

Claire jumped off the swing and stopped in front of Percy.

“You work at a restaurant, right?” The little girl asked.

“Yes, I do,” Percy responded.

“Awesome!” Claire exclaimed. “I want to work at a restaurant too. I want to make food for everyone in the world!”

“That would be a really cool job.”

“I know. What’s your favorite food?”

“Burgers.”

“Really? So your favorite food doesn’t have to be fancy for you to work at a restaurant?”

“No way. I think the non-fancy foods are way better, but don’t tell anyone I said that,” Percy whispered, followed by a wink.

The girl’s face lit up. “Cool!”

“Estelle, Percy!” Sally called, standing next to the car. “Come on, you guys!”

“It was nice meeting you, Claire. When you open your restaurant, let me know so I can pay you a visit!”

Claire giggled. “Okay!”

* * *

Sally dropped Percy off at work. He didn’t have time to stop at his apartment, but when he left home that morning, he imagined he would be spending a long time with his mom, so he brought everything he needed.

She had been right. Seeing Estelle gave him the energy he needed to go to work that day. His little sister didn’t know the power she had, especially when she introduced him to her friend. Seeing Claire so excited about being a chef reminded Percy of how much he loved his job, regardless of who his boss was.

He took a deep breath and stepped into the restaurant. The hot air of the kitchen immediately hit him in the face and it felt right, familiar.

That good feeling lasted exactly three seconds, because that’s how long it took for Percy to see Annabeth standing by one of the stations, talking to Rebecca. The fact that everyone but Piper seemed to be avoiding looking him in the eye didn’t make things better.

Percy sighed. It was going to be a long night.

A few minutes after the shift started, he noticed not everyone in the team was there. After a few seconds of mental preparation, he approached Annabeth.

“Where’s Lucy?”

Annabeth’s shoulders immediately tensed. She didn’t look at him when she spoke.

“She quit this morning.”

“What? Why?”

“She didn’t say. Melissa and Mary will tag team on her station until I find someone else.”

Whatever the reason was, the timing was terrible. A cook quitting right after the news about their relationship broke would not bode well for the restaurant’s image. Percy began to wonder if this had anything to do with the anonymous source, but he shook off the thought. It was not productive to theorize—the deed was already done, and lingering on it wouldn’t make him feel any better.

Percy looked at the clock on the wall.

“Couldn’t you have told me that when I got here?”

Annabeth let out a heavy breath and nodded.

“Right. I’m sorry.”

Percy had never seen her act like this before, and he had no idea what was going on. He wanted to ask if she was doing okay, but she’d made it quite clear it was none of his business anymore.

“When are you going to start interviewing people?”

“Tomorrow. I’ll let you know when I make a decision.”

She hadn’t looked at him during the entire conversation. It was good, really, because Percy was sure his expression showed nothing good. He bit back a couple of comments and walked back to the fish station, which Lucy used to run.

“Piper, Mary,” he called. “How are we feeling about the fish station?”

“Pretty good, Chef,” Piper answered.

“Mhm,” Mary muttered. She hadn’t looked up at him, still slicing a piece of salmon.

“Mary? Everything okay?”

“Everything is fine.”

“Right. Well, in the case it isn’t, I’d rather you talk to me about it,” he responded. “Please.”

Mary finally looked up at him. “Look, Percy,” she said. “Speaking as your friend, not as your employee, we’re all pretty disappointed. We know you’re a good guy and you mean well, but you still broke our trust.”

Percy nodded. “I’m sorry. You’re right to be angry.”

“We can see you two are trying to fix things, though.”

“Give it some time,” Piper added. “For now, just focus on doing your job well. That, you can do.”

“I think I can,” Percy responded, but he wasn’t so sure. “Thanks.”

He was walking away when he felt a hand on his wrist.

“Hold on,” Piper stopped him.

“Hey, Pipes.”

“I mean this as a concerned friend, but you look like you’ve been run over by a tractor.”

Percy laughed, half at the analogy and half at his own misery. “Something like that.”

“How are you, really?”

“I’ve been better, but I’ve been worse. I saw my mom and my sister today, so that was nice.”

“That is nice.” Piper squeezed his arm. “Hang in there, okay? And let me know if you need the Piper McLean intensive breakup treatment.”

“What’s that like?”

“More sugar than you’ve had since you were a kid and some crappy junk food.”

“That sounds very tempting.”

“Think about it.” Piper winked. “Seriously, though. If you need someone to talk to, I’m here.”

“Thanks, Piper.”

“Yeah. Now, go do your job.”

“I should be saying that to you, don’t you think?” Percy questioned.

“Whatever,” Piper replied, already walking back to her station.

 _Give it some time,_ she’d said. Percy wondered how long that would be. He knew things had to get worse before they got better, but he feared this wasn’t as bad as it would get.

* * *

The front of the dining room was filled with journalists. Annabeth was standing before them, Percy a few steps behind.

“Next question,” Annabeth demanded.

“Did you consider replacing him, since his presence has caused so much controversy and backlash?”

“No,” Annabeth responded firmly. “A personal misunderstanding is no reason to fire an excellent sous chef, in my view. Percy’s contributions to the restaurant are clear in the numbers and kitchen dynamics.”

“Has the reveal of your relationship affected the way you both interact with the other cooks?”

“We have been working to come to a mutual understanding with our team. We had an open conversation about the issue and are still open to listening to them and it is my hope that they know they are free to come to us with any concerns.”

“One of your cooks, Lucy Collins, quit yesterday. Does that have anything to do with the recent developments.”

“Lucy didn’t explain why she was leaving her position, but we are very sorry to see her go and I wish her all the best in her future endeavors.”

“I’d like to ask Chef Jackson a question,” one journalist announced.

Percy stepped forward. “Yes?”

“In Chef Chase’s statement, she said you decided to terminate your relationship. Was that a mutual decision?”

A camera flash blinded him for a moment. He was looking at the journalist, but he could almost feel Annabeth’s tension buzzing next to him.

He swallowed. “Yes. Yes, it was.”

* * *

“Melissa, I need that sauce right now,” Percy demanded.

“Coming to the pass, Chef!” She ran past him holding the small container in her hands, accidentally bumping on Percy on the way. “Sorry!”

After the breakup, every service consisted of Percy reminding himself he loved his job.

He did, of course. Cooking was his passion, and it was fulfilling to create quality food in a prestigious restaurant and have his name associated with it. A lot of that satisfaction was undermined, however, when he had to answer to the woman he was in love with like she was nothing to him but his boss.

It was unfair how everything was painfully the same, yet so different. Percy was still working next to Annabeth, side by side, but now, he was excruciatingly aware of every inch between them, each one more insurmountable than the next. Her blonde hair was still tightly tucked in a bun, but when she went home, Percy wouldn’t be there to pull her curls free and run his fingers through them while she hummed contentedly. His hands in hers were unwelcome, an impossibility, his lips on hers were heresy. All these little glimpses of what he had stained his vision. Her voice was bittersweet in his ears—she sounded like his favorite song, like broken promises and stupid hopes.

He shrugged on his coat at the end of the night, pretending she wasn’t right next to him, scrolling through her phone.

Annabeth inhaled like she was about to say something, and Percy froze. He looked at her. She was holding her phone, now locked, and staring at the wall, mouth open as if she was deciding whether or not to speak. She blinked a couple of times and closed her mouth.

“Have a good night,” she said finally.

The politeness hurt. “Have a good night.”

He didn’t watch her walk away, and felt stupid over how painful the decision had been.

“Percy?”

It was Melissa. She stood where Annabeth was previously standing.

“Hey. Is everything okay?” Percy asked.

“I was about to ask you the same thing.”

Percy wasn’t sure how to respond. He wasn’t even sure what the answer really was anymore.

“I’m sorry this has been so shitty,” she continued. “We can tell you’re really overwhelmed. I just wanted to tell you we’ve got your back, okay? Regardless of what they’re saying about all this in the media.”

“Thank you.”

Melissa smiled. “Sure. Good night, Perce.”

“Good night.”

It was not.

* * *

Annabeth Chase was the last thing Percy expected when he entered the Starbucks down the street from his mom’s apartment, and yet, there she was, standing in line, a couple of people between the two of them. He didn’t even realize she was there until he heard her voice.

It happened when a teenage girl was ordering her coffee.

“Sorry, miss, it says your card was rejected,” the cashier informed her, apologetically.

“I got it,” the next person in line said, and Percy looked up from his phone.

Annabeth stepped up to the front and handed the cashier her own card.

“Thanks,” the girl said shyly.

“Don’t mention it.” Annabeth smiled.

Percy hadn’t seen her smile in a long time. Not a real smile, anyway, unlike the ones she offered journalists in interviews and press conferences. His heart raced at how it lit up her face. God, he was so fucking in love with her.

She ordered her coffee and sat at a table, her back facing him. Opposite her was another young woman with short, raven black hair. She was wearing a cropped top and a leather jacket, and Percy could see she had a large tattoo on her collarbone. He thought he recognized her from pictures Annabeth had shown him—it was her friend Thalia. They were very close, even though Thalia was a couple of years older, and they’d met when they were both very young.

Percy forced himself to stop thinking about how good Annabeth’s shoulders looked in that shirt and ordered. He sat at a table on the opposite side of the Starbucks, trying not to be noticed, and frankly, trying to keep her out of his field of vision. What he failed to take into account, however, was that he chose to sit right next to the restrooms. Percy was halfway through his coffee when Annabeth and her friend crossed the Starbucks in his direction.

Annabeth paused mid-sentence when she spotted him, and Thalia followed her gaze to Percy. He wasn’t sure what the look on the friend’s face meant, but it was something other than recognition.

“Hi,” Percy said.

“Hi,” Annabeth responded, then turned to her friend. “Um, Thalia, this my sous chef Percy.”

“Hello.” Thalia’s wide smile contrasted with the tension building up in Percy’s gut. “I’ve heard _a lot_ about you.”

Annabeth coughed loudly. “Percy, you remember Thalia, right?”

“Sure. It’s nice to meet you, Thalia.”

“Likewise. Well, I need to use the bathroom,” she announced. “You’ll wait for me here?”

Annabeth nodded. She watched her friend disappear into the bathroom before slowly turning to face Percy.

“So-”

“Um-”

They spoke at the same time.

“You go first,” Percy said.

“I was just going to ask how you’re doing.”

 _Terrible._ “I’m okay. How are you?”

“I’m alright.” If Percy knew anything about her, she was lying. She bit her lip immediately after saying it, like she did whenever she told him the meme he showed her was funny, even though she didn’t laugh at all.

“It was nice of you to pay for that girl’s coffee.”

“Oh, it was just five bucks.”

“Still. It was nice.”

“Thanks.”

“Sure.”

 _I miss you,_ Percy wanted to say. He didn’t, of course, but he was sure his face said enough. 

This was the most he’d spoken to Annabeth about topics unrelated to work in ages, and it was a bit overwhelming. Her face was soft, as was her voice. This wasn’t confrontational and intense like their last interactions, and Percy craved more. He wanted her to sit down with him and tell him about her day, but he knew how fragile the conversation really was. There was an unspoken limit they both knew not to cross, even though the consequences of this transgression were still unknown.

“I have two options for Lucy’s position right now,” Annabeth said, shifting the conversation back to work. Percy didn’t know if he was relieved about the comfortable subject or disappointed by the new distance. “I’m having the last day of evaluation today, so I sent you their resumes on your email, in case you want to look. They’re both good.”

“I’ll check them out.”

Thalia walked out of the restroom a few seconds later. Annabeth waved goodbye and followed her friend out of the Starbucks. When she was out of sight, Percy sighed loudly and buried his face in his hands.

He took a sip of his coffee, but it was cold. He tossed the half empty cup on the trash and walked home, looking down the street first to make sure he wouldn’t cross her path again, even though he wished he would.

* * *

Percy hadn’t really been paying attention to the TV. He put on the Office to keep himself somewhat distracted from the dread he felt about having to go to work later, but his ADHD didn’t allow him to sit quietly through the episode and pay attention, so he pulled out his phone two minutes in and started scrolling through his Instagram.

In hindsight, he should have paid attention to the episode he picked, because by the time he noticed it was _Casino Night,_ Jim was already telling Pam he was in love with her and being rejected, and seeing Jim quietly wipe a tear off his face hit way too close to home. Percy picked up the remote to skip to the next episode, but stopped himself. _This story has a happy ending,_ he remembered.

When the two characters kissed again, Percy felt his impulse control start to wane. He had already walked out the door when the next episode started to play. 

The next few minutes were a blur, and before he knew it, he was at her door.

He was mildly aware of the fact that he had no real plan when he knocked.

“Coming!” Annabeth’s voice sounded from inside the apartment. He heard her shuffle to the entrance and, a few seconds later, she opened the door.

She was wearing a t-shirt and jeans, and from the looks of her hair, it hadn’t been long since she had woken up. Percy wasn’t sure who she expected it to be, but it clearly wasn’t him.

“Can I come in?” He asked.

She stared at him for a few moments, as if she was trying to convince herself that he was actually there. Then, she simply nodded and stepped aside.

Percy didn’t say anything as he walked into the apartment and stopped in the middle of the room. He watched Annabeth close and lock the door then turn to him, eyeing him expectantly.

“I need to say something.”

Annabeth blinked. “Okay.” Her voice was low.

“I can’t do this anymore.”

Annabeth stepped away from the door and crossed her arms.

“Do what?”

“Work like that. I can’t.”

Her words were hesitant and a bit shaky. He could see she was holding back. “Work how? What do you mean?”

Frustration crept into Percy’s voice. “I can’t keep acting like everything is fine, like nothing happened. It feels like shit.”

“I feel like shit too!” Annabeth’s voice raised to match his, and there were tears streaming down her face. “Don’t you think I know that? I don’t know what to tell you, Percy, you _know_ why—”

“No, listen to me. I can’t pretend you’re just my boss, Annabeth. I can’t.”

“You have to.”

“I can’t.”

“Percy—”

“Annabeth, I can’t.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m in love with you!”

Annabeth inhaled sharply.

“I love you, Annabeth,” he continued. “It’s killing me to pretend I don’t. I can’t. I don’t want to hurt you or your career, but I just can’t go on—”

“Percy,” Annabeth whispered. She began taking slow steps in his direction.

“Yeah?”

She closed the distance between them, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Percy felt like a million pounds were lifted off his back as he pulled her closer, hugging her waist tightly.

Her face was wet with tears as she kissed him. Her hands moved to his shoulders, clutching them tightly as if to keep him from walking away. Percy pulled back and touched his forehead to hers, lifting up a hand to wipe her cheek.

“I love you too,” she said. “And I don’t want to do this anymore either, but I don’t know what to do.”

“We’ll figure it out.”

“I’m so sorry, Percy.” She sobbed. “I really am. I never wanted to hurt you.”

Percy nodded. “It’s okay. I’m sorry too.”

He kissed her. Because he could, because he had to, because if he didn’t, he might have died, or that’s how it seemed.

And it felt _so_ right. More right than anything else he’d ever had in his entire life, and he was sure of it. There wasn’t a thing in the world he would trade for the woman in front of him, anything he wouldn’t risk. He felt so naive for not seeing this before, for thinking he could juggle a million other things when the answer had been right there in front of him, blonde hair and grey eyes.

Percy Jackson made a decision.

“I’m going to quit,” he told her.

She pulled back slightly. “What? No. I don’t want you to do that, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“I know you don’t, but it’ll be okay. You’ll find another good sous chef, maybe one that’s almost as good as me.”

“Percy, why would you do that? You don’t have to.”

“I don’t have to, but it’s what I’m going to do.” He grabbed her hands. “Look. I’m good at what I do. I can get a job somewhere else, right? But I can’t get _you_ anywhere else.”

“Percy…”

“I’m sure about this, okay? And you’re not making me do anything. This is my decision, and I know it’s the right one.”

She examined his face. “Are you really sure?”

“Yes. I promise.”

Annabeth took a deep breath and buried her face on the crook of Percy’s neck. He held her, running a hand on her back and pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

“I missed you,” he told her.

“I missed you too,” she murmured into his skin.

Annabeth was warm, and her body fit his perfectly, like the puzzle piece he never knew was missing.

* * *

“Hello, everyone. Percy and I have an announcement to make.”

The team huddled around them. They must have noticed something was up, because Percy and Annabeth sounded and looked happier than they had in weeks. Expectant faces stared as they waited for them to spit it out.

“I am leaving the restaurant,” Percy announced.

A low wave of murmurs erupted from the small crowd.

“Everyone, it’s okay,” he continued. “I’ve been thinking a lot of my place here, and I figured out what my priorities are.”

He looked at Annabeth, and she smiled. 

“It’s been an honour and a pleasure to work with all of you, really. This is a fantastic team of cooks and I have no doubt you’re capable of anything you want.”

“When are you leaving?” Melissa asked. 

“Percy will stay until I find his replacement, which shouldn’t take long,” Annabeth explained.

Piper raised her hand. “So, just checking—you two _are_ back together, correct?”

“Yes.” Percy laughed.

“Thank you for the clarification,” Piper said, clearly hiding a smile.

“Anything else?” Annabeth asked. Nobody spoke. “Perfect. Get to work, everyone!”

The group dispersed, and Percy approached her. “That felt great.”

Annabeth let out a laugh. “I know, right?” She sighed. “God, now I have to go looking for a sous chef too. Thanks for all the extra work.”

She elbowed him playfully. Percy laughed, but suddenly had an idea.

“Have you contacted the two candidates for Lucy’s position yet?”

“No, why?”

“Hire both of them.”

Annabeth raised her eyebrows. “What?”

“Annabeth, I think Piper is the natural choice for the sous chef position. She’s become a leader in the group over the past few months. They all listen to her, and you know how well she can cook.”

Annabeth smiled. “You’re right. I’ll call the two of them right now and talk to Piper after service ends.”

“Amazing. See? What would you do without me?”

“Lots of things, but I still love you,” Annabeth responded. “Anyway, don’t you have a job to do? You still work for me, you know.”

Percy smiled. “Yes, Chef.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there it is!! i hope you all enjoyed the last chapter. i plan on posting an epilogue tomorrow or on sunday. i did leave some ends open, like who the anonymous source was or whether or not octavian was involved like some of you theorized because i wanted you all to make your own conclusions, and i didn't want to take away attention from what really mattered in the plot.  
> thank you all SO much for reading and commenting and being supportive. i hope you had as much of a great time reading this fic as i did writing it. percabeth 4ever  
> chapter title from taylor swift’s cruel summer


	7. epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy in an interview to the New York Times.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a teeny tiny epilogue for anyone who was wondering what happened to percy after he quit the parthenon. this is like idk 3-5 years in the future

_Thank you for talking to the Times, Chef Jackson. Today you’re celebrating one year since the opening of your restaurant uptown. How are you feeling?_

Very excited! The Palace has been more successful than I ever expected so it’s great to be here for another year. I’m very grateful.

 _Tell us more about that name_ — _Sally’s Palace._

Well, Sally is my mom. She’s the one who taught me to cook so, you know, credit where credit is due. 

_Definitely. Where did you get the inspiration for the menu?_

Well, the fun thing about burgers, and sandwiches in general, is that they can be whatever you want, right? So we have the classics, of course, but I spent a while mixing and matching with some new stuff to create new combinations. I thought back to the stuff my mom used to make when I was a kid, things I learned while working on other kitchens, food I ate when I traveled. 

_Do you have a favorite on the menu?_

I would have to the _Spanish Harlem_. That one’s also a little nod to my childhood.

_Do you have any plans for the second year of the Palace? Maybe open a new location somewhere in New York City?_

We definitely have some plans. I want to make some changes to the menu, invest in some more meat-free options. We have a kitchen renovation on the way too. As for a new location… I don’t know if that’s something I’m interested in, at least right now. There’s a lot going on in my personal life at the moment and I’m happy with where we’re at currently.

_Speaking of your personal life… after your relationship with Chef Annabeth Chase became public, you’ve both kept a low profile. Are you concerned you’ve acquired somewhat of a reputation?_

Well, given the fact that I married the first and only coworker I’ve ever dated, I would say that would be inaccurate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the reason he doesn't want to open a new location is because his family is his priority babyyyyyyyyy. love him sm.  
> @theseaofmonster is my tumblr in case u wanna discuss

**Author's Note:**

> come chat w me on tumblr! @theseaofmonster


End file.
